Playing Matchmaker
by heyitsme517
Summary: Austin has a lot of feelings for his best friend, Ally, but doesn't know how to tell her. His cousins, who have a band called R4, surprise him with a visit to Miami, and make it their goal to get the two together.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N - Hey guys! Here's another new story! You might know me from some of my other stories! If you don't know what I am talking about, click my pen name and read them! And this one! :D )**

"Ally," I whined, banging my head on the counter of Sonic Boom. Ally Dawson, my best friend and music partner, was behind the counter, working her shift, while I was on the opposite side, talking about another girl that I embarrassed myself in front of. "I went over to flirt, and I slipped on some water from the fountain."

Ally rolled her eyes and looked a bit distant. "Yeah, Austin," she said lazily, writing in her book. "That stinks." She wasn't paying much attention, but I didn't mind. She was probably writing a new song, possibly one for me to sing. Plus, I complain to herself about this kind of thing all the time - it probably gets annoying. So, I used the time to stare at my best friend. I know what you're thinking - who just stares at their best friend?

Well, there is a huge chance that I feel more for Ally than just friendship. I think that she is beautiful, with her dark brown orbs and soft, curly, brown hair. I think she is adorable with her quirkiness and innocence. I think she is funny, smart, and caring. And she is by far the most talented girl I have ever met, even if she only performs for me. The truth is, I really like Ally. But we are best friends, and I can never risk our friendship without knowing that she feels the same way. That is why I still flirt around with other girls - I don't know how Ally feels. But I have never strived for a real relationship with any girl - my heart belongs to Ally.

"Austin?" Ally asked, snapping me to attention. She shot me a worried look. Oops, I guess I stared a bit too long. "Are you okay? You were staring at me. Do I have something on my face?"

"Uh, yeah," I stuttered, taking the bait as a cover up, as well as an excuse to touch Ally's pretty face. "Right here." I reached out with my thumb and gently wiped at an imaginary spot on her face. "There you go, all gone."

"Thanks," she said, looking up at me and shooting me a smile that made me grin back. "What was it, anyway?"

"Oh, nothing," I said. "Just an eyelash, or something." She nodded and I began to walk away.

"Wait, Austin," Ally exclaimed, grabbing my hand. She walked around the counter so we were standing next to each other. "I haven't gotten my Austin hug yet." I grinned down at her and wrapped her in a hug, a daily occurence for us. I got that warm, fuzzy feeling inside of me again.

It seemed a little intimate to some people, but it works for us. We pulled away after a few moments, and Ally said that she had to go back to her shift. I nodded and started heading for the door, off in search of one of my other friend's, Dez or Trish. Then I remembered that Dez is in Orlando for a few days.

I barely took two steps, however, before I bumped into Trish, who had her eyebrows raised. "What?" I asked, motioning for her to follow me out the door. I knew that it probably had something to do with me and Ally, and Trish doesn't exactly talk quietly.

"There was nothing on her face," she said, giving me a pointed look. "Why were you really staring?" I felt my cheeks grow hot, knowing someone saw through my fib. "Oh, I know," Trish said, rolling her eyes and grinning. "You did it because you really like her."

"What?" I asked, stretching out the word nervously. Trish gave me a disbelieving look. "Fine," I relented. "Okay, I really, really, _really_ like Ally. _A lot._ Okay? Are you happy now?"

She smiled. "Ecstatic," she said, giggling. I rolled my eyes. "And I bet Ally will be too when I tell her."

"Trish," I warned. "Please don't tell her. It will make things really awkward between us, and I don't want that. I value my friendship with her too much to ruin that, if she doesn't feel the same."

"And if she does feel the same?" Trish asked.

I smiled happily, just thinking about it. "Then I would be the happiest guy in the world," I said, sighing. "Now if only that were true."

"Aww," Trish said, clapping her hands. "That was so sweet. And who knows? Maybe she does. But you won't know if you don't make the first move. Ally is traditional about guys. You have to start the romance."

"Thanks for the advice," I said, nodding my head. "That's actually really helpful." She nodded then mentioned something about going to apply for another new job. I set off on a walk throughout the mall. I would go back and visit Ally at Sonic Boom soon, but I needed to clear my head first. I have to do that around her sometimes, since I often get very close to spilling everything I feel about her.

I walked around the mall, eventually seeing a group of teenagers, maybe a bit older than me. One actually looked a lot like me, tall with bright, blonde hair. He seemed to be a leader. Another one looked slightly younger, with light brown hair. Then there was a blonde girl, wearing a crazy tutu that seemed to be her style. And following her was another boy, a pair of drumsticks hanging out of his pocket. They all seemed really familiar. "Hey, Austin," the girl shouted, running over to me.

I gave her a quizzical look as she pulled me into a hug. Then I looked at her again. "Rydel?" I asked incredulously. She nodded her head excitedly, and I looked at the guys who had followed her over. "Rocky! Riker! Ratliff!"

The four teenagers standing in front of me are my older cousins. I haven't seen them in a few years, which would explain why I didn't recognize them. "Hey cousin," they all greeted me, hugging me in a line. "How have you been?"

"Awesome," I exclaimed. "What are you guys doing here?" My parents hadn't mentioned my cousins coming any time soon. They live in Washington, and seeing them is a pretty rare occurrance, which stinks since they are my favorite cousins. They all share my love for music.

"Well," Riker said. "We made a band, called R4. The four of us had a small tour recently, and we made enough money to come down here for a while. We asked Aunt Mimi and Uncle Mike to keep it a secret though."

I nodded my head. "That's great," I exclaimed. "Well, have you been home yet?" I looked down at the suitcases they were holding and took that as a no. "How about you guys head home and then later tonight I show you around? I'll invite my best friend, Ally, over for dinner."

"I thought your best friend's name was Dez," Ratliff said, raising his eyebrows. It's kind of funny, because Ratliff reminds me a bit of Dez. "Who is Ally? Your girlfriend?"

"I wish," I muttered. "Dez is one of my best friends, but he is in Orlando for a few days. Ally is my best friend that is a girl. I'll be home in like an hour, I just need to go talk to Ally for a bit."

"Can I come with you?" Rydel asked. "The boys can take my bags, right?" My male cousins nodded and grabbed her two suitcases, heading out to the rental car that they got. "So," Rydel said, walking over to a line at the foodcourt. "Ally, huh?"

A random woman that stands in front of us in line turned around. "Oh, isn't that the girl that works at the music store?" I nodded my head, slowly. I briefly remember seeing her in Sonic Boom a few times. "You two are just the sweetest couple around." A few people around agreed, and I tried to protest that Ally and I are just best friends.

"We're really just best friends," I said glumly to Rydel as we walked back to a table, food in hand. When we were younger, Rydel had been like the sister I never had. I used to see my cousins all the time before they had to move to Washington for Uncle Roy's job. "I like her a lot, though."

"Well, it seems like there's something going on between you two," Rydel noted, taking a bite of her burger. "Everyone around here is talking about it. You two have to be pretty adorable and noticable for that."

I thought about it, then nodded my head. "I guess," I said. "I just wish I could tell her how I feel without thinking about her not feeling the same way. I have come so close so many times, but I always chicken out."

"Okay," Rydel said, finishing her food. "I am making it my personal goal to make sure you tell this girl how you feel before we leave in two weeks. Got it?" I nodded my head and threw away our trash. "Now let's go meet her!"

I nodded and took Rydel to Sonic Boom. We walked through the door and Ally looked up and beamed at me. "Hey Austin," she called out, waving. Then she looked over at Rydel. "Hi, I'm Ally."

"I'm Rydel," my cousin said as we walked over to the counter. "I'm Austin's cousin. It's nice to meet you."

Ally's face immediately relaxed, and I couldn't help but smile to myself. Was she jealous when she saw me with a girl? Is that why Ally visibly relaxed? "It's great to meet you too!" Ally said, walking around the counter towards us. I slung my arm over her shoulder in a friendly way, something we did all the time. But the look that Rydel gave me didn't go unnoticed. I could tell she thought that it was a more than friendly gesture. "Austin talks about you all the time, but he didn't say you were coming."

I turned to her. "I didn't know, either," I said, smiling. "They all surprised me! This is going to be an awesome two weeks." Ally grinned up at me and I grinned back. I could hear Rydel giggling lightly, and I turned to give her a look. "So," I said, looking back down at Ally. "Want to come over for dinner tonight? Then you can hang out and meet the rest of my cousins."

"Totally," Ally exclaimed.

"Great," Rydel said, clapping her hands. "Let's go!"

"Actually," Ally said hesitantly. "I don't get off for another hour and a half. But you guys head out, and I'll come over, I promise."

"You sure?" I asked her, reaching out to give her hand a squeeze. She nodded her head. "Okay, see you soon." She grinned and nodded again, retreating to behind the counter of the music shop. Rydel and I waved and we started walking out to my car. I noticed Rydel giving me a look from the corner of my eye. "What?" I asked, confused.

"You're joking, right?" she asked. "You two both totally like each other. Anyone with eyes could see that." I rolled my eyes, but grinned anyway, hoping she was right.

**(A/N -well, that's chapter 1! What do you think? Please review! Or I'll never know if I should keep going!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N - whats up? Chapter 2, coming at you! Hope you like it!)**

"Austin has a girlfriend," Rydel announced in a sing-song voice, as we walked into my house. I slapped my hand over my face, desperately wishing that nobody heard her. But when my parents, cousins, and siblings ran into the foyer, I knew that I had no such luck.

"No I don't," I shouted, looking at the ground. "Ally and I are just friends."

"Oh, Ally," my mother exclaimed. "We love that girl. She is just as sweet as can be, and perfect for Austin. You finally asked her out, sweetie?"

"Way to grow a pair," my older brother, Thomas, called out.

"Awww," my sister, Lacey exclaimed.

"Way to go, son," my father said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "She's a pretty one."

Each of my cousins said something encouraging too, and I groaned. "I told you guys, we are just best friends," I said, getting slightly frustrated. "Do I like Ally? Yes. Would I love it if she were my girlfriend? Yes. But we're not dating, we are just really good friends. And I would appreciate it if you all just dropped the subject, especially since she is coming over in an hour. I love you guys, but come on."

They all mumbled apologies and went back to whatever it was they were doing before we got home. "Sorry," Rydel said, biting her lip. "I was just joking, I didn't expect it to get so out of hand."

"It's fine," I reassured her. "To be honest, I don't mind the teasing. But I don't want anyone to do that in front of Ally. I don't know how she would react, and I care about her far too much to lose our friendship."

"Do you love her?" Rydel asked, cocking her head to the side. I could tell that she wasn't teasing or mocking me. She was asking a serious question, which is why I seriously thought about it.

"I'm not sure," I said after a few minutes. "I definitely love her. She's my best friend in the entire planet, and means a lot to me. I'm just not sure if I'm _in love_ with her. I'm only sixteen, after all. I don't know much about being in love. I think I might be. But I won't know for sure for a while."

Rydel nodded, and we walked upstairs, to where the rest of my family was. My brother and cousins were playing a video game while Lacey was playing a guitar in a chair along the wall. Rydel grabbed an acoustic and joined her. I went over to the men in the room, and joined in on the game, shouting at the screen. My poor parents. There are seven teenagers in this house right now, and an eighth will be here shortly. But my parents don't mind too much. They are pretty cool, and know what to do when it comes to handling teenagers. It also helps that we have a pretty large house.

Eventually, I heard the doorbell ring downstairs. I quickly ran to the door, lightly shoving Thomas out of the way, who was headed for the giant wooden door. "Hey," he shouted, grabbing a couch for balance.

"Sorry," I called back. I didn't mean to push him, but I really wanted to be the one to open the door. It was Ally. I quickly shook my hair out of my eyes and swung the door open, leaning on the frame in an attempt to look chill. "Hey, Ally," I grinned.

She giggled. "Why are you out of breath?" she asked, giving me a quizzical look. I froze and stepped aside for her to walk through the door, placing a hand lightly on her back as she came in. She smiled at me, and I shut the door, leading her to the kitchen. "Hi Mrs. Moon," she called out to my mother, who was cooking dinner.

"Oh, Ally," my mother exclaimed, rinsing off her hands and running to give Ally a hug. My parents love her, and I'm glad. "Hello, dear, how are you? I'm so glad you could come over."

"Thank you for having me," Ally replied, politely. Then she waved towards my father. "Hello Mr. Moon." He grinned and waved back in response. I quickly led her up the stairs to the rest of my family. "Hey, Lacey," she smiled at my sister. "What's up, Tommy? Hi, Rydel." Then she turned to my male cousins. "And you guys must be..."

Riker, Ratliff, and Rocky each said their names, giving Ally a small wave. "She's cute," Rocky whispered to me, giving me a nod of approval. I rolled my eyes.

"Well," I said, slinging my arm over her shoulders. In turn, she snaked her arm around my waist casually. "Now that you have met everyone, let's eat. And then after dinner, we could have a jam session, or something."

Everyone nodded their agreement, and we walked into the kitchen, where my mother was just finishing dinner. Thomas and I helped carry the food over to the large table, and we all loaded our plates. After saying grace, we all ate a wonderful dinner, filled with laughter and stories.

I grabbed Ally's plate when she was finished and took it over to the sink, quickly washing them both. "Thanks," she grinned at me.

I nodded and reached out to give her hand a squeeze. "Anything for you," I said quietly, hoping nobody else heard me. But the looks of awe on the faces of my family told me that they heard.

I looked back to Ally to see her blushing lightly. She was smiling to herself, and I caught Rydel's wink across the table. "Anyway," Riker said. "How about that jam session?"

"Sounds good," we all agreed. We went back upstairs, this time to our music room. Since all of my siblings and I are interested in music, we have a large supply of instruments. Riker, Rocky, Rydel, and Ratliff all grabbed some instruments and began playing a song that they sing as a band. I realized that I heard it on MyTewb once, and I had no clue that it was my cousins. R4 is actually a really good band, but they have someone else write their songs for them. Not that it's a problem - I can't write well, either.

Next, Thomas played guitar while Lacey sang. They just did a cover of a One Direction song.

"How about, 'Free'?" I asked, turning to Ally. It was a song that we wrote together. Ally is an amazing songwriter, and it only makes me admire her more. We have become internet and locally famous due to her songs and my performances.

And although she still won't perform on stage, Ally's fear has gotten a lot better. "Totally," she agreed, taking a seat at the piano. We wrote this song as a duet for us, in case she ever wants to get up on stage with me one day. "_One step at a time_," she sang out clearly, playing the corressponding keys.

I grabbed my guitar and sat on top of the piano, smiling down at her. "_One day, you'll be mine_," I sang back, making her grin.

"_But for now,_" she belted out. I glanced at my family, and could tell that they were impressed. We continued on with the song, exchanging parts every few lines. I was getting lost in the music, lost in Ally's eyes, and I forgot about everyone else in the room.

"_Until then, I'm free to be me,_" we sang together, finishing the song. We were both breathing heavily and beaming at each other. "Wow," I said, smiling. "You were amazing."

"_We_ were amazing," Ally said, smiling and winking quickly. My cousins and siblings made 'aww' noises, reminding me that they were in the room.

I blushed and saw Ally doing the same. "So," Rocky said, looking at me. "You two are just best friends, huh?"

I groaned, and slapped my hand over my face again, causing Ally to go into a round of nervous giggles. I looked over at her and shrugged, smiling. She smiled back, and I knew that she didn't mind what my cousin just said. People mistake us for a couple all the time. If only they weren't mistaken.

"That was amazing," Riker exclaimed.

"Thanks," I said, smiling down at my best friend. "Ally wrote it."

"Austin helped," she said, grinning. "And he was the inspiration."

We kept grinning at each other, and I caught the eye rolls from Thomas and Lacey. I know that they think something is bound to happen between Ally and I - and I hope they are right. But they are used to the 'sexual tension' - as Lacey refers to it - between Ally and I. For the rest of the night, we all just hung out and had a great time.

"Want me to take you home?" I asked Ally. She nodded, grinning. After saying goodbye to my family, Ally and I headed out the door, my arm slung around her shoulders as we walked down the driveway. I opened her door for her, and she smiled, climbing in. I ran back to the driver's side and started the car. "So did you have a good time tonight? Sorry, my family is a bit embarrassing."

She giggled beside me as I pulled out of her driveway. "You know I love your family," she said, sighing happily. "And your cousins are funny. They're great."

"Not as great as me, though, right?" I asked, teasing.

She laughed and punched my shoulder lightly as I pulled into her driveway. "Of course not," she said, rolling her eyes. "Nobody is as great as you."

"Except for you, Als," I said, shooting her a huge grin. Her face softened, and I reached out to squeeze her hand.

"Thanks, Austin," she said, leaning over and quickly kissing my cheek. "Um, see you tomorrow." She quickly got out of the car and scurried up to her house, shooting me a shy wave as she ducked inside. Even though it was only a friendly kiss on the cheek, I found myself reliving it over and over again, wishing it meant more. Wishing we were more.

**(A/N - what do you think? Review, please! I'm sure a lot of you have noticed that I try to PM everyone who reviews my stories! I do it because I am really grateful that you guys take the time to not only read, but also review. Thanks, guys! I appreciate you all!)**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N - heeeey guys! :D new chapter! R&R!)**

"Austin," a voice shouted, waking me up. I rolled over on my bed, and smushed a pillow on top of my head. "Austin, wake up." I groaned in response, not knowing who it was or what they want. A few moments later, they spoke again. "I'm giving you to the count of three. One, two, three..."

Suddenly, I was freezing and soaked, jolted out of my bed. I looked up to see Ally giggling, holding an empty bucket. "Als," I exclaimed, grabbing my blanket and wrapping it around myself to warm up. "What was that for?"

"I warned you," she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "It's noon already on my day off, and you wouldn't wake up. I gave you to the count of three, and you still didn't get up, so I poured water on you." She started giggling again, and I rolled my eyes.

"Ha-ha," I laughed sarcastically, taking a step towards her. I wrapped my arms around her so she was now getting wet too, and began to tickle her sides. "Now, _this_ is funny," I exclaimed, cracking up.

Ally was laughing too, between squeals and trying to get away from my arms. "Okay, okay," she shouted. "You win." I let go and took a step back from her, grinning. She began shivering from the water.

"Here," I said, handing her one of my hooded sweatshirts. She gratefully accepted it and pulled it over her head. It was really baggy on her, and she looked adorable.

"Thanks," she said, smiling. I quickly took my wet shirt off, throwing it into my hamper. Then I grabbed a t-shirt from my drawer and threw it on, before running my fingers through my damp hair. "So, what do you want to do today?"

"Well, my cousins are out all day, exploring Miami," I said, smiling at her. "They probably left already, since it's noon. Do you want to just hang out here for the rest of the day until they get back? Then we can all do something together later. Sound good?"

She nodded her head excitedly. "Sounds amazing," she exclaimed, taking my hand. We began to walk out of my room but stopped when we saw Thomas standing in the doorway, watching us with raised eyebrows. "Hi, Tommy," Ally said, smiling.

"Hey, Ally," he said, smiling at her. "Now if you two are done being cute and romantic, I wanted to tell you that Mom, Dad, Lacey, and R4 went to explore Miami. And I am going over to Jessica's house."

"R4?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're calling them by their band name now? And who is Jessica?"

"It's just easier than saying all their names," he explained. "And Jess is my new girlfriend. Anyways, see you guys later." He waved and headed out the door.

I pulled on Ally's hand, which was still intertwined with mine, giving her a smile. "Want to watch a movie?" I asked, leading her downstairs to the large television in the den.

"Okay, but no horror movies," she said seriously.

I chuckled. "Of course not, Als," I said, rolling my eyes playfully. "I wouldn't dream of it. And no chick flicks." Ally gave me the doe eyes, but I shook my head, giving her my own puppy dog pout. "Nope," I said. Sometimes I watched chick flicks with her, and sometimes she watched horror movies with me, just to make the other person happy.

"Fine," Ally grumbled, taking a seat on the far left cushion of the couch and tucking her legs up. "Romantic comedy?"

"Sounds great," I said, grabbing _'The Proposal'_ out of our movie cabinet. I inserted the disc, then ran to the kitchen to make a bowl of popcorn. I also grabbed a bottle of Dr. Pepper, mine and Ally's favorite. When the popcorn was finished, I raced back to the den and sat on the middle cushion, making sure mine and Ally's shoulders were touching.

She smiled over at me. "Ready to laugh your butt off?" I asked, chuckling. I set the bowl of popcorn in my lap and took a sip of the soda, offering it to her. She gladly took it, then I started the movie.

We watched it, laughing the whole time. During the romantic parts, I wrapped my arm around Ally's shoulders, pulling her closer to me. I ended up setting the popcorn on a table and allowing her to place her head in my lap, shaking every time she laughed.

"This movie gets funnier every time that we watch it," Ally said when the movie was over. She rolled over so she was on her back, her feet propped up on the arm of the couch, and her head still on my lap, smiling up at me.

"That's the truth," I chuckled, stroking my fingers through her hair. "You'd think watching the same movie with the same person thirteen times would get boring. But not with you."

"Likewise," she said, giggling. "So what do you want to do now?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know," I said, smiling. "Want to go write a song?"

She thought about it. "Not really," she said, sighing. "Today is so relaxing. Even though I love writing, especially with you, I don't want to work today. How about we just go play some songs?"

I nodded my head, grinning, helping her into a sitting position. I jumped off the couch, then motioned for her to jump on my back. "You sure?" she asked, standing up on the couch. "I'm probably too heavy."

"Hush, you're light as a feather," I said truthfully as she climbed onto my back. I gave her a piggy back ride upstairs to our music room, setting her down on the piano bench. Then I pretended to sit on her, making sure I wouldn't actually hurt her. She pushed me and giggled. We sang a lot of songs.

Last, we sang _'Not a Love Song'_. "_Easy to tell, you're bluffing_," I sang out. Ally joined me on the chorus. "_I love the things you do, it's how you do the things you love, but this is not a love song_," we sang out, our voices mixing perfectly, as usual. I changed up the words on the last part. "_I love the way you get me, but correct me if I'm wrong, this **is** a love song_."

I looked over at Ally, who was blushing. "This _is_ a love song?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. I just smiled in response, opening the door and beckoning her into the hallway. "Austin, Ally," Lacey called from downstairs. "Are you guys here?"

"Yep," I called back. I placed my hand on Ally's back, leading her in front of me. "I meant to say this earlier," I whispered into her ear. "My hoodie looks really good on you."

She giggled in response and we walked into the living room, where my family was sitting. "Ally, would you like to come shopping with Rydel, Lacey, and I?" my mother asked. "Anything you see that you like, my treat."

Ally looked over at me, and I nodded my head, telling her to go if she wanted. "That sounds amazing, Mrs. Moon," Ally said, grinning.

All the girls left, and my dad went to go do some work in his office. "Football?" I suggested to my cousins, who nodded their heads, hooting and hollering. We played a game of two on two, Riker and I winning. Then we all flopped onto the lawn chairs in the yard.

"So, Austin," Riker said. "I feel like we haven't gotten to talk to you much since we got here. I know we have two weeks, but we want to know the scoop with Ally." Ratliff and Rocky nodded their heads in agreement.

"Okay," I said, smiling just thinking about Ally. "We started out as enemies when I accidently stole her song. Then, I asked her to be my songwriter, and we started to become friends. Then we quickly became best friends, and we're practically inseperable. We have a lot of moments that seem romantic or flirty to other people, and we're often mistaken for a couple. But I really, really like her. I just don't know if she feels the same way."

"Bro," Rocky said, shooting me a look. "I have been here a day, and already know that she grins every time you talk to her, giggle and stares at you, cuddles, and is wearing your hoodie."

"Exactly," Ratliff said, nodding his head. "We have only been here a day, and we can already tell that you two are perfect for each other."

"And Rydel told us about her little mission," Riker added, chuckling at the thought of his meddling sister. "And we are helping her. You're gonna tell her how you feel before we leave."

"Two weeks?" I asked, biting my lip. "That's such a short time. I don't know if I can tell her by then."

"You can and will," Rocky said, giving me a fist-bump. Suddenly, we heard Rydel calling us from inside the house.

"Has it been six hours already?" I teased, strolling into the living room, where the girls sat with a ton of bags.

"Ha-ha," Lacey laughed sarcastically. "It's only been three. Okay, fashion show time." Rocky, Ratliff, Riker and I rolled our eyes, but plopped down on couches anyway, as the girls ran to another room with their bags.

"They're so excited to show you their new clothes," my mom said, giggling. She loved shopping, and having more than one girl to take with her was her wildest dreams. "Okay, here comes Lacey," my mother said, clapping her hands.

My sister came out wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a top that she called a babydoll or something. She looked nice, but it was similar to what she always wore.

"Next is Rydel," my mom exclaimed. Rydel came walking out in a striped tank top, with a leather jacket on top. She had on a layered tutu that extended halfway to her knees. We all clapped for her, making her twirl and pose. I'm not sure what is up with Rydel and tutus, but they were her style.

"And last, but certainly not least, Ally," my mom said, just as Ally walked in. I think my jaw literally hit the ground. Ally came out wearing a flowly yellow top with thin gray stripes. She had a gray skirt that ended mid-thigh and had a row of buttons down the front. She had on a pair of light brown boots and high socks. She looked amazing.

My cousins were whistling next to me, telling her how great she looked, while the girls were gushing over her outfit. I was speechless. "Say something," Riker whispered, elbowing me in the ribs.

I looked back to Ally to see her looking at me expectantly. "You look _amazing_, Als," I said, grinning at her. She beamed back and made her way over to me, sitting on the arm of my chair. "Actually, amazing doesn't even fit. You look stupendously wonderful in every way."

She blushed and smiled, looking down. "Thanks, Aus," she said, giggling lightly. I wrapped my arm around her waist and laughed.

"You guys are too freaking cute," Rydel gushed, making Ally and I blush and pull away from each other. I shot Ally a shy smile. I love when people tease me about Ally and I, because it gives me hope that we might actually become something more than best friends one day. But I hate when people do it in front of her, because it makes us kind of awkward.

"She's right you know," I whispered in Ally's ear. "We are cute." Without looking at her, I knew that a blush was creeping to her cheeks. "But it's mostly because of you."

I looked over at her, to confirm my suspicions - her face was red as a tomato. "Thanks," she whispered, grinning at me. "But I disagree. It's mostly you."

**(A/N - okay, REALLY fluffy - like, this is probably the fluffiest chapter of any story that I have ever written - ever. But I like it. I hope you do too! Do you? Review! :D )**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N - here's the next chapter! I know the last one was super fluffy, and this one is pretty fluffy too. But not nearly as much as the last. hahah, enjoy!)**

"Austin," Rocky shouted, walking into my room. "Want to head to the beach with us?" I saw that behind him in the doorway, Rydel, Riker, and Ratliff stood there, in bathing suits and holding beach bags. "Lacey is at her boyfriend's house, Thomas is at his girlfriend's house, and hey - why aren't you at Ally's house?"

I rolled my eyes and chucked a pillow at him. He ducked and it whacked Riker in the face behind him. "Hey," Riker shouted, tossing the pillow back at me.

I caught it and set it back down. "Sorry, that wasn't supposed to hit you," I said, glaring at Rocky who was snickering. "Ally isn't my girlfriend. And yeah, that sounds good. Let me just throw on a suit."

They all exited the room and I threw on a pair of yellow swim trunks, grabbing a t-shirt and pair of flip-flops. I ran down the stairs, and my cousins were sitting there, waiting. "Hey, why don't you invite Ally?" Rydel asked. I shot her a look, hoping that they could drop the teasing for just a little bit. "I'm being serious. We really like her and want her to come hang out with us."

I nodded my head and smiled. "Okay," I said, pulling out my cellphone. I clicked my first speed dial, and Ally answered on the second ring, as usual. "Hey, Als," I said into the phone, knowing a broad grin was spreading across my face. "My cousins and I are going to the beach. Do you want to come with us?"

"Sure," she said. I could hear the smile in her voice. "I'll be ready in ten minutes. Do you want me to come over, or are you going to pick me up?"

"We'll pick you up," I said, smiling. "See you in ten." I hung up the phone and turned back to my cousins. "She said yes," I said, and they all grinned. We hopped in the car, with Riker and Rydel in the front seat, and Rocky inbetween Ratliff and I in the back. We pulled into her driveway and gave a quick honk.

She came skipping out of the house in a bright red sundress, a large beach bag slung over her shoulder. I opened the car door, and she peered in. "Where do I sit?" she whispered. Oh, right - I forgot about that. There are only five seats in the car. Finally, I pointed to my lap. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Come on," I smiled. She climbed in and I pulled her onto my lap, shutting the door. Then I wrapped my arms around her waist, since she doesn't have a seatbelt.

"You guys ready?" Riker asked. We nodded our heads and we all headed for the beach, ready for an awesome day.

When we pulled into a parking spot, Ally opened the door and tried to get off my lap, but stumbled in the process. I caught her around the waist and carefully helped her back into a standing position. "Careful, Als," I said, smiling down at her.

"Thanks," she whispered, a look of fear on her face. She came pretty close to hitting the ground, after all. She pulled me into a quick hug, and then all of us walked down to the sand. "I love the beach," Ally shouted, spinning around.

"You used to hate it," I pointed out, chuckling as she ran around, jumping. She even did a cartwheel - which I taught her to do a month ago.

"Yeah, but that was before I came with you," Ally giggled, still running around. Rydel nudged me with her elbow as she passed by, waggling her eyebrows. I just rolled my eyes and we picked a spot, setting our stuff down. I kicked off my flip-flops and chucked my t-shirt aside, wanting to get in the water immediately. I half expected Ally to lay in the sand, or write in her book that I knew was in her beach bag - it always was. But I looked over to see her shyly slipping her sundress off, revealing a bright yellow bikini.

I have seen Ally in a bathing suit before, but never a bikini. I don't mean to sound like a pig, because I honestly respect Ally too much, but - she looked beautiful. I must have been staring, because Ally blushed, reaching for her dress. I stopped her though. "You look great, Als," I said, smiling.

She smiled back and started slathering sunscreen all over herself. I did the same to myself, but started chuckling when I looked over at Ally. She had a huge smudge of sunscreen across her cheek, and I could tell that she thought she rubbed it in all the way. "What?" she asked, giving me an annoyed look, wanting to know why I was laughing.

The look plus the sunscreen made me laugh even harder - she looked adorable. "There you go," I said, reaching out and rubbing her cheek with my thumb until the white mark was gone. Then I turned around. "Can you get my back?"

She rubbed sunscreen into my back, and I tried really hard to avoid the smirks, stares, and winks from my cousins. When she was done, Riker, Ally and I headed down to the water with surfboards. Ratliff and Rocky were building a huge sand sculpture, and Rydel was tanning, claiming, "Washington gets no Sun."

Riker and I were catching waves. "Bro, you haven't lost your touch since you moved away from Florida," I called over to him.

He laughed as he rode another great wave. "Washington isn't too far from California," he said. "I drive down there every few weekends and surf."

Ally was floating out in shallower water, since she didn't know how to surf. "Hey, Als," I called, waving her over. She swam over to us and gave me a questioning smile. "You're learning to surf today." Riker nodded his head beside me, and Ally began to protest. "Ally, you have two awesome teachers right here. And I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"Fine," she grumbled. We all headed up to the shore, since it was easier to stand on the board in the sand first. Ally balanced well, which Riker and I both found surprising. Even in the sand, most people fell a few times when first learning.

Then, we took her out to the water. "Okay, Als," I said, after we paddled out on boards. "The first few, you're just gonna ride in on your belly. Then, we'll try it on your knees, and if you feel comfortable, eventually we'll do it standing."

She nodded her head, and we waited for a wave to come by. "Okay, this one," Riker called out. We all started paddling, and I knew that each of us caught it at the right time. Riker and I quickly got to our feet, feeling free. I looked over to see how Ally was doing, only to see that she was already on her feet, riding like a pro. It shocked me so much that I fell off my board, being engulfed by a wave. A few seconds later, I was washed up on shore, spitting out salty water, and sprawled out on the sand.

"Austin, are you okay?" I looked up to see Ally hovering above me, her face laced with worry.

I nodded and pulled myself into a sitting position. "Uhm," Riker said, walking up to us. He was covered in sand, so I knew he ate the wave as well. "What was _that_?"

"What do you mean?" Ally asked, looking confused. She sat down in the sand beside me.

"He means," I said, looking over at her. "That was _totally_ awesome. You've never surfed before, and you just rode that like a pro. I wasn't even expecting you to get on your feet for a few hours."

"You're a natural," Riker exclaimed, nodding his head.

Ally blushed a bit and looked away. "Well," she said, stretching out the word. I shot her a sideways glance, not knowing where this was going. "I actually started surfing a few months ago. I wanted to surprise you."

I broke into a wide grin as I put my arm around Ally. "And that you did," I said. "I'm glad you like doing something that I like. But you're still a natural. Riker and I have been surfing for years, and we still wipe out all the time."

"Thanks, Austin," she said. "I'm glad you're not mad that I didn't tell you about me surfing." I looked up to see that Riker had joined Rocky and Ratliff in building a sand sculpture.

We both laid down on the sand, the waves washing up to just past our ankles. "I could never be mad at you, Als," I said, smiling. Somehow, our hands found each other, and we intertwined our fingers.

"Good," Ally said, looking over and beaming at me. I smiled back, and our faces were only inches apart. We were staring at each other, and I began to think that maybe this would be a good time to tell Ally how I feel about her. She might feel the same way, right?

Suddenly, I heard Rocky calling my name. "Austin, Ally," he shouted. "You guys have to come see this." I groaned and hopped to my feet, pulling Ally up and grabbing the surf boards. We walked over to where my cousins were, a giant sand elephant stood. I was shocked - Rocky has always been artistic, but this was incredible.

"Wow," I breathed, looking over at Ally. Her mouth was hanging wide open, and there was a large group of people gawking at the sand sculpture.

Everyone was clapping, taking pictures and telling my cousins how good they did. Eventually, the crowd dispersed, and we all packed up our stuff and left. "I think Ally and I will just walk home," I said to my cousins. Rydel gave me a knowing glance and winked.

Ally and I began to walk towards her house, which was about ten minutes away. We chattered about everything, then ended it at her doorstep in comfortable silence. "Thanks for another awesome day, Als," I said, smiling down at her.

She wrapped her arms around me and grinned. "Thank _you_, Austin," she said. "I love spending time with you and your cousins." I kissed the top of her head in a platonic, friendly way.

"See you tomorrow, okay?" I asked. She nodded her head into my chest, then gave me one last smile and wave before heading into her house.

I walked back to my own house, wishing that our flirty gestures and conversations meant more. I thought about it, and decided that I was going to take my cousins up on their challenge - as if I had a choice. By the end of these two weeks, I will tell Ally how I feel. Now I just need to find the perfect time.

**(A/N - So, what did you think? Austin has decided that he is going to tell Ally soon.. When/how should he do it? Review, please! Thanks!)**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N - i don't think this one is overly fluffy! There is Auslly, but not to the extent of the past two chapters. Hope you enjoy!)**

"Hey guys," I said, waving sleepily at my brother and sister as I walked into the kitchen. "Where is everyone? And what's for breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" Lacey asked, raising an eyebrow. "Austin, it's already eleven. You might as well just wait until lunch." Eleven, already? Man, the beach wore me out yesterday.

"Mom and Dad are at work, Riker, Rocky, and Ratliff went to some paintball place," Thomas said with a wave of his hand. "And Rydel said she was going to catch up with an old friend that she had before they moved to Washington. But we're all going out to dinner tonight."

"Okay," I said. "So I have the day to myself?"

Thomas shook his head. "Nope," he said, grinning. "You have the day to you and your _girlfriend_." He sang out the word, '_girlfriend_', making Lacey giggle uncontrollably.

"She's not my girlfriend," I grumbled, slapping my hand over my face. You would think that they would get sick of making fun of me eventually. But they have been teasing me about Ally for months now. Honestly, can a girl and a guy not be best friends without something else going on? Actually, no, they can't - because I do like Ally. But that is beside the point. "See you guys later."

"Where are you going?" Lacey asked, still giggling. I rolled my eyes, knowing she knew the answer, and that she just wanted to hear me say it to tease me some more. Of course I was going to Sonic Boom. I ignored the question and waved at them as I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

I drove to the mall and parked, hopping out with a skip in my step. A day for just me and Ally? As I walked, I remembered my decision last night - before my cousins leave, I will tell Ally how I feel. I considered if I should do it today, but then decided that I shouldn't plan it ahead of time, I should just say it when it feels right. They've only been here two days, anyway.

"Austin," a voice asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see that I was perched on the counter of Sonic Boom, with Ally waving her hands in front of me, her face full of concern. Hm, I guess my legs just brought me here - it's pretty natural for me. "Are you okay? Here, follow me."

She grabbed my hand and pulled me upstairs to our practice room before lightly pushing me onto the couch. "Hey, Ally," I said, smiling.

She walked over to the fridge and took out a bottle of water, handing it to me. "_'Hey, Ally?'_" she asked, an incredulous look on her face. "What just happened?" I gave her a confused look as I sipped my water. What was she talking about? "Okay, so you walked into the store, practically in a trance or something, and you just sat down on the counter, without saying anything, and staring. I called your name like, ten times. Are you feeling alright?"

She placed her hand over my forehead to see if it was warm. "Als," I chuckled, shaking my head. "I promise, I'm fine. I was just thinking, and I'm pretty sure my legs just brought me here on their own. I guess it's just natural now. Sorry if I freaked you out."

"Are you sure?" she asked, sitting down next to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders comfortingly and nodded. "Okay. You didn't freak me out, I was just worried about you. So what are you doing here?"

"I just came to have a day with my bestfriend," I said, smiling. She beamed back at me. "My cousins all went places, and I have to be home for dinner, but the next six hours are just you and me, Als. I mean, if you want."

"I do," she said, laughing. She layed down so her head was in my lap and looked up at the glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling. Dez added them a few weeks ago - I'm not sure why, but they're pretty cool. "I actually have the day off, I was just bored and helping my dad around the store a bit. He gave me a few weeks off, actually, saying to spend some time with friends since it is summer. So what do you want to do today?"

"That was nice of him," I said, flicking a strand of her hair. "Well, we can start with lunch. I'm starving."

She stood up and laughed. "Of course you are," she said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "You're always hungry."

"Hey," I exclaimed, standing up and following her down the stairs. "That's so... true. But, I actually have an excuse this time. I woke up late and didn't eat breakfast."

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "I guess that's a good excuse." Then she turned to her dad, who was for once, actually working. "Hey Dad, Austin and I are going to hang out today, okay?"

He nodded. "Don't you always?" he asked good-naturedly. We both laughed, because it is true. "Hey there, Austin. Can you come help me get a box from the storage room before you leave? It's pretty heavy."

"Sure thing, Mr. D," I said, telling Ally that I would be right back. I followed him to the store's storage room. "Which one is it?"

"Oh," he said quietly, laughing. "There isn't actually a box. I just have a question for you and didn't want Ally to hear. She would yell at me for embarrassing her." I nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Okay, I ask Ally this all the time, but she says no. Are you two dating? I don't think Ally would lie to me, but I just wanted to check."

"No," I said, giving him a smile. "Als would never lie to you, Mr. D. We're just best friends."

He gave me a knowing look. "You like my daughter, don't you, Austin?" he asked, shocking me. I looked up and nodded slowly, surprised that he caught on to that - sometimes, he is even more clueless than Dez. "Hey, I was a teenage boy once," he said. "I remember how I looked at girls - especially Ally's mother. It's exactly how you look at my Ally-Cat."

"Right," I said, sheepishly. "Well, please don't tell Ally. I plan on telling her soon, I just don't know when the right time is. And don't worry, Mr. Dawson, I respect Ally a lot, and would never hurt her or anything like that-"

"Austin," he cut me off. "I know. Honestly, Ally looks at you the same way you look at her. You probably don't think so, but I can guaruntee that she likes you. She would never tell her old man that, but I see it. And I trust you. If I were to give Ally permission to date anyone, it would be you. Just keep that in mind, alright?"

"Yes, sir," I said, grinning. He just gave me permission to date his daughter - _if_ she feels the same way. I started to walk out of the storage room, but stopped. "Hey, shouldn't I take a box out with me? Ally might get suspicious." He nodded and handed me a light box before we walked back into the store, me setting the box down in a corner. "Ready?" I asked Ally, placing my hand on her back and lightly steering her towards the door.

"That box didn't look all that heavy," Ally commented as we walked towards the food court, bumping into each other every few moments. "What took you so long?"

"Oh, it was underneath some other boxes," I said with a wave of my hand, not wanting to mention my conversation with her father. "And I guess it was just heavy for you dad. It was like lifting a feather for me." I was trying to impress her, so I flexed my muscles.

"Well, you are pretty strong," Ally giggled, poking my arm. "Look at those guns." We walked over to the burger stand, where Trish was working. "Hi, Trish," Ally said, grinning.

"Hey, guys," Trish shouted happily. "I know what you're thinking. Why am I actually working? Well, my mom said that if I could actually hold down a job for at least three days, then she would start giving me allowance again."

"Actually," I said. "We just came over to say hi. And order lunch." Ally and I both ordered food, and I slipped Trish a twenty before Ally could pull out her wallet. "My treat," I said, smiling.

"Aw," Trish said, grinning. "That's so nice of you." Ally nodded and smiled as I took the change and tray of food from Trish. "See you guys later. Wish me luck on my job." We did and walked over to an empty table.

"Austin, you're going to go broke if you keep paying for my food all the time," Ally said, smiling. "Thank you, but I actually have a job. I can pay for myself."

"Don't worry about it," I said, smiling. I don't mind paying for Ally, since my wallet is basically endless. My father is a surgeon, and my mother is a pharmacist, so we're pretty wealthy. Plus, Ally works hard for the little money that she gets, so she should save it.

We ate lunch, cracking jokes the entire time. "So, where do you want to go?" I asked, throwing away our trash.

"You know," she said, grinning. "I haven't been to the Seaquarium in a while. Want to go?" I nodded my head excitedly, for I was a huge fan of anything to do with marine life. I haven't ever told anyone this, but I want to be a marine biologist when I grow up. I know, it doesn't really seem my style, but I love the ocean, and all the creatures in it.

"Let's go," I said, taking her hand and leading her to my car. The Seaquarium wasn't too far from the mall, and as usual, the car ride was full of singing. I'm so glad that Ally feels so comfortable singing with me. She has a truly amazing voice, and I wish the rest of the world could hear it.

When we got to the Seaquarium, we hopped out and ran in, excited. We walked around and when we got to the dolphin exhibit, one of the dolphins swam over to me, doing a few tricks with my encouragement. "He likes you," a voice said from behind me. I turned to see a middle aged woman in a trainer's uniform, watching me talk to the dolphin. "You would be a good trainer."

"Thanks," I said, smiling. "I want to be a marine biologist when I'm older, actually. I have always loved sea creatures." She nodded, and handed me a fish to throw to the dolphin. I tossed it, and he caught it in his mouth. Then he flipped his tail fin at me, splashing water my direction before swimming back to the other dolphins.

I turned to see Ally looking at me quizzically. "You want to be a marine biologist?" she asked as we began walking again. "How come I never knew that? I thought you wanted to be a performer."

I shrugged. "Well, I do," I said, as we sat down on a bench. "Of course I want to make it big, but that career can only last so long, you know? People aren't going to want to see a forty year-old man jumping around on stage and belting out catchy pop lyrics." She nodded her head. "I never really told anyone about the marine biology thing, because it doesn't seem my style. Plus, I do want to perform a few years, and don't want people thinking that I don't take music seriously."

"I understand," Ally said, nodding and smiling. "I don't mind that you never told me before, actually. I haven't told you what I want to be either. Even though you are my best friend, and I know a lot about you, I don't know everything. I like being surprised every once in a while. "

"Boy, are you in for a surprise sometime in the next few weeks," I muttered under my breath. Ally looked confused and asked me to repeat myself. "Uh, I said, what do you want to be when you grow up? I know you like writing my songs for now, but what is your future goal?"

"Actually, I want to be a zoologist," Ally said, smiling. "I love animals, and every time I go to the zoo, I get so excited. All the animals there are so different, and exotic."  
I made a mental note to take Ally to the zoo soon.

"That's cool, we both want to work with animals," I said, smiling. "My parents both work in the medical field. We could be like, an animal expert team when we grow up, and we could teach our kids all about what we do. Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"Yeah," Ally said, smiling. Then she looked at me with confused eyes. "But did you just imply that we're going to get married and have kids?" I could feel my eyes widen as the heat rushed to my cheeks. I began to stammer an excuse, but suddenly, Ally pointed towards the turtle exhibit. "Woah, check it out! They're letting people feed the turtles. Let's go!"

I let out a sigh of relief as Ally happily ran towards the turtles, forgetting what just happened. I caught up to her and we both took food from a trainer, offering it to a turtle. An hour later, it was nearing dinner time, so I had to go. I drove Ally to her house, and walked her up to her porch. "Thanks for yet another amazing day, Austin," Ally said, pulling me into a hug.

"Anytime, Als," I said, seriously, shooting her a crooked grin. "See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow," she confirmed, giving me one last squeeze. Then she opened her door and walked in, waving and shooting me a quick smile. I bolted back to my car so I could get home and get ready for dinner with my family. I had a great day with Ally, and even a little teasing from my relatives couldn't spoil my mood tonight.

**(A/N - whoops, looks like Austin needs to be more careful when he talks! Who knows what he will say? So, what did you think? Review and let me know! Oh, and I know that Dez hasn't been in this story yet, but that's because I wrote him on vacation in Orlando for a few days. He will appear in the next few chapters! As usual, thanks for reading!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N - bit of a filler chapter, but it guides the story along. Hope you all enjoy!)**

"So, how did you spend your day today, Austin?" my mother asked as we sat down at a large table in a resturaunt, Cafe Italiano. Rocky, Riker, and Ratliff just talked about their paintball extravanganza, Rydel told us about her friend, and Lacey and Thomas gave us the boring details of work.

"I hung out with Ally," I said, smiling as the words escaped my lips. Rydel winked, and my mother gave me a knowing glance.

"Where did you go?" Riker asked, shooting me a curious glance. The rest of my family turned, waiting for my answer. I sighed, knowing that the conversation would once again be directed towards teasing of Ally and I.

"I took her to the Sequarium," I said, grinning as I twirled my fork through my pasta. "And I found out that she wants to be a zoologist when she grows up - I never knew that about her."

"Hey, don't you want to be a marine biologist or something?" Rydel asked. I stared at her in disbelief, since I didn't know anyone knew that. "I'm a girl, Austin. I notice things."

"You do?" my father asked me incredulously, obviously happy with my somewhat practical career choice. Although he is supportive of my decisions, I could tell that he thought of music as a hobby, and not a career.

"Yeah," I said, looking at every member of my family seriously. "I want to perform for a few years, and then settle down and work with marine life."

"You always loved sea creatures," my mother mused, smiling. "And you both want to work with animals, isn't that sweet? Your father and I are a medical duo, you two could be an animal duo."

"Assuming we ever get married," I mumbled, stuffing a forkfull of food into my mouth. "Which is a big _if_."

"If?" Lacey asked. "Don't you mean when? It's so obvious to everyone but you and Ally that you two love each other."

Each member of my family nodded their head, and I rolled my eyes. "Can we please talk about something other than Ally and I?" I asked. "For once?"

"Fine," Rocky said, nodding his head. "We should talk about tomorrow night. Anybody up for a campfire?"

"Where?" Ratliff asked.

I thought about it, then snapped my fingers. "Anywhere," I said, laughing. "We could have it on the beach, in a park, at a camping ground, or even at home."

"I'm going to go with camping ground," Riker said. "We could all go on a camping trip, and it would be awesome."

"I'm down," I said. My cousins all agreed. "Mom, Dad, can we do that?" I asked. They smiled and nodded - it was summer, after all.

"I won't be able to," Thomas said. "I work night shifts all this week."

"And I just hate camping," Lacey said, shrugging her shoulders. "But you guys should still go."

"And I can invite Ally, Trish, and Dez," I exclaimed. Everyone nodded, saying that it was a great idea, and we planned it for three nights from now, on a Friday.

We ate the rest of our dinner in comfortable small talk, about family, friends, school, favorite things, and more. The food was delicious. When we got home, I picked up my cell phone and called Ally. "Hey, Als," I said into the phone.

"Hey Austin," she greeted happily from the other end of the phone, making me smile. "Thank you so much for taking me to the Seaquarium today. I had a great time. You weren't late getting home or anything, right?"

"No, I was right on time," I said, grinning at her usual ranting nature. Ally can talk - a lot. But it's one of the many things that I love about her. "And I'm glad you had a good day, because I did too. So, I was wondering if you wanted to go camping with me and my cousins Friday night? We can go to the Miami grounds, bring some tents, make a bonfire, stuff like that. Does that sound fun?"

"Fun?" she asked, excitement evident in her voice. "That sounds amazing! I can't wait."

"Good," I grinned. "Can you call and invite Trish? I'm going to invite Dez too, since he's coming back tomorrow."

"He's coming home?" Ally asked. "Good, the store has been a bit too normal lately anyway." I laughed and agreed, grateful that our eccentric freckled friend would be returning shortly.

"Yeah," I smiled. "Well, I'm going to call him. Text you later, Als." We hung up and I quickly called Dez. "Hey buddy," I said into the receiver. "How's Orlando?"

"Boring," he mumbled. "How's Miami?"

"Boring," I said in the same tone. To be honest, I was having a great time recently, but I didn't want Dez to think he was missing out on fun. Plus, it did feel different with out my ginger friend. "But my cousins came down for a surprise visit, so that's awesome."

"Really?" Dez asked, obviously excited. "I haven't seen them in years. Now I really want to come home."

"You're coming back tomorrow, right?" I asked. There was a long pause, and I knew my friend well enough to know that he was nodding his head, then, realizing I couldn't see him, later vocalizing his affirmation. "Awesome. Okay, so my cousins, Ally, maybe Trish, and I are going camping on Friday night, and I want you to come. Sound good?"

"Sounds great," Dez said. "Now I just can't wait to get away from this stupid city." I laughed and we hung up. After showering and getting ready for bed, I texted Ally, like I said I would.

**_Austin: Hey Als, (:_**

_Ally: Hey, Austin :) Trish said she can't come because her family is going to the Keys for a few days. They leave tomorrow._

_**Austin: Wow, that stinks, but I'm sure she'll have a great time in the Keys. Dez is coming back for sure tomorrow, so maybe they can see each other in between tomorrow**._

_Ally: Or maybe they can avoid each other even longer, sparing a few arguements. ;)_

**_Austin: They sure do argue a lot, but it's all part of Team Austin._**

_Ally: That's true. We wouldn't be the same without them arguing all the time._

**_Austin: Exactly. So, I guess it is you, me, Dez, and then all four of my cousins going camping. Sounds good?_**

_Ally: Sounds amazing. :D I can't wait._

**_Austin: Me either. Well, I'm getting a bit tired. I'll see you tomorrow?_**

_Ally: Always. ;)_

**_Austin: Good. ;D Night, Als!_**

_Ally: Goodnight, Austin. (:_

After rereading our conversation a few times, I shut off my phone and went to sleep, having sweet dreams of Ally - as usual.

**(A/N - like I said, a bit of a filler, but it seemed necessary to the story. Also, I hate formatting the story into texts (the last part), but I didn't know how else to write it, so I just listed it as a text conversation. Okay, so you have read... NOW, review! Go go go!)**


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N - wasssssup? how many of you guys are out of school? I wish I was. ): Anyway, here's the chapter! It's the longest one that I have posted so far, and I hope you guys like it!)**

"Are you guys ready?" I asked my cousins. They all nodded. "Okay, so I'm going to take my dad's truck, with all the camping stuff loaded in the bed. Then, we're driving to Dez's house to pick him up, and then Ally's. You guys can follow behind in the car, alright?"

The four of them nodded excitedly, and we raced out the door, saying goodbye to our parents and siblings. I was so beyond excited for the camping trip. It was going to be a blast, and it's all I can do not to burst with joy. I hopped into the pickup truck, which was loaded with camping equipment, and drove to Dez's house, with my cousins following.

"Hey, buddy," I shouted as Dez hopped into the cab of the truck. I gave him a quick man hug, after not seeing him in a while, and we did our handshake. "How was Orlando?"

"It was alright," Dez shrugged, as I motioned to Riker in the other car to follow me again. "I missed hanging out with you, Ally, and Trish, though."

"Speaking of Trish, you haven't seen her in a while," I pointed out. "And you won't for another week or so. She went to the Keys with her family."

Dez frowned a bit. "Aw, man," he said. "I was actually starting to miss her."

I did a double take and gave him a skeptical look. "You miss her?" I ask in disbelief. "Do you think you like her or something?"

"No, not like that," Dez said. By the tone of his voice and look on his face, I could tell he meant it, which, unfortunately means I can't tease him about it. I always thought it would be cool if Dez and Trish went out, because then if Ally and I started dating, we could all go on double dates and stuff. But I guess they are just too different and argumentative for that. "It's just weird to not be constantly insulted and beaten."

I nodded and laughed good-naturedly at Trish's abusive ways. "Okay, so now we're heading to Ally's house to pick her up, and then we're going to have a super awesome weekend."

"_Ooooh_," Dez teased, grinning. "_Ally_," he sang her name out and nudged my arm. "Want to tell me what's been going on there since I left? I'm sure you guys have only gotten closer." I rolled my eyes and attempted to protest, but Dez cut me off. "Save it, buddy. I know you really like her. So just tell me."

"Fine," I said, wishing my friend didn't know me quite so well. "I do like her. And while you were in Florida, we just did some stuff that we normally do. Beach days, lunch days, lazy days, kiss on the cheek."

"Wait, what?" Dez asked so abruptly that I almost slammed on the brakes. "She kissed you on the cheek? Dude, that's huge." He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small confetti cannon, making little bits of color fly everywhere.

"Dez," I exclaimed as I pulled into Ally's driveway, brushing bits of confetti out of my hair. Dez always carries the strangest things in his backpack, but they have often gotten us out of trouble, so I can't complain. I can only imagine what he might have packed in his camping bag.

I gave the horn a light honk and hopped out of the truck, as Ally scurried out of her house. I waved to Mr. Dawson in the doorway and grabbed Ally's bag out of her hands, carrying it down to the truck. "Thanks," she smiled up at me.

"No problem," I said, setting it in the bed of the truck and then letting her slide into the middle seat through my door. I let her buckle her seat belt, then slid into the driver's seat.

"Dez," Ally shouted, giving him a quick hug. "How was Orlando?" Then she took a look around the truck. "Um, what's with the confetti?" she asked, picking a piece out of my hair.

Dez started to explain, but I quickly cut him off. "No reason," I said. "Just celebrating Dez being home." Dez nodded, and I pulled up next to Riker's car. We both rolled our windows down and I shouted over to him. "Okay, so it's a one hour drive to the camp grounds. Follow me, and if you lose me, just pull over and call."

He nodded and I began driving, resting my knee against Ally's. She turned on the radio and we all began singing along, while talking about Dez's trip and what we have been up to while he was gone. "Oh and the other day," Ally gushed excitedly to Dez. "Austin took me to the Seaquarium, and it was amazing. We had such a good time, didn't we, Austin?"

"We sure did," I nodded, turning my head to give her a broad grin before eyeing the road again. I'm glad that she had such a good time the other day. The ride was over quickly, and I pulled up to the camping site, with Riker and the rest of my cousins not far behind.

"We're here," I shouted, quickly unloading the truck. I made sure to hand Ally and Rydel light things, while me and the guys took the heavy items. We walked the short distance to a camp site and set the stuff down. "Okay, so we have two tents, a big one and a small one. Rydel and Ally, you two can take the smaller one while the five of us use this one. Does that sound good?"

Everyone nodded and I handed the girls one tent while throwing the other one to Ratliff. He took everything out of the bag, and I began to assemble the tent. "Als, do you need any help?" I called over my shoulder to Ally. "As soon as I figure out this one, I'll come help you out."

Rydel and Ally giggled, and I turned to see Ally grinning, their tent already assembled next to them. "I think we got it," Ally said, laughing lightly.

"How did you set that up so quickly?" I asked, still in shock.

Ally laughed again. "Austin, my dad and I are huge campers," she said, smiling and walking over to my tent. "He taught me to set up a tent before I even knew how to ride a bike." Ally and I quickly assembled the tent, and everyone took their bags into their own tent.

"This tent is huge," Dez said, pretending to echo. We set up our sleeping bags, and then walked back outside to see Ally and Rydel already sitting on a log, waiting for us.

"So what's the plan?" Ally asked, standing up and walking over to me.

I smiled down to her and she grinned back. Then I turned to the rest of the group. "Okay, so I was thinking that Ratliff and Rydel can set up the stuff for dinner, and make a circle for the fire, with some big logs around it. Riker, Rocky, and Dez can go seek out things like lakes for swimming or fishing, and collect some berries. But don't eat any until we make sure they aren't poisonous. And Ally and I can go collect firewood. Is everyone cool with their jobs?"

Everyone nodded and Dez raised his hand. "Uh," he said. "Where is the bathroom? I need to pee."

"Dez," Ally exclaimed, gesturing towards the ground around us. "This _is_ the bathroom! It's just us and the great outdoors." Dez nodded and reached for his zipper, but Ally stopped him. "Wait, no, I didn't literally mean right here. I just meant that there is no fancy restroom. Go find a spot concealed by trees." Dez nodded again and walked off, coming back a few minutes later.

"Okay, let's go," I shouted excitedly. Everyone cheered and we went off in different directions to do our jobs. "Stick together," I called out to everyone. Then Ally and I walked into the trees, picking up any large pieces of wood that could be used to build a fire. We walked in a comfortable silence, occasionally brushing hands or bumping shoulders.

"This is going to be so much fun," Ally said, her voice bubbling with excitement. "I can't believe we get to spend an entire weekend out her in the woods."

"You really like camping, huh?" I asked, nudging her with my elbow. She nodded happily and I chuckled, picking up another piece of wood. "I never would have pinned you as an outdoorsy kind of girl."

"Oh?" Ally asked good-naturedly. "Well, what did you have me pinned as?"

I smiled. "My shy, talented, beautiful, funny, and amazing best friend," I said, shooting her a shy smile and blushing a bit at what I just said. I _really_ need to watch what I say around her. "What do you have me pinned as?"

"My goofy, hilarious, sweet, handsome rockstar of a best friend," she said, nudging me back. I grinned and wrapped my free arm around her shoulders.

"Handsome?" I chuckled, quirking an eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes and swatted at my chest playfully. "Yes, yes," she said, giggling sarcastically. "I'll admit that you're pretty good looking." I just laughed some more and we walked back to the camp site, our arms full of firewood.

Ratliff and Rydel had made a circle for a fire, where Ally and I placed the firewood, before starting a blaze. There were large logs placed around the fire, and they had hot dogs, buns, and metal sticks to roast for dinner. Riker, Rocky, and Dez came tromping back to the grounds with a bag full of berries. "Those are raspberries, so go ahead and eat them," I said after examining the fruit. I have been in the wilderness enough times to know which berries are safe to eat or not.

"Who's hungry?" Rocky asked, rubbing his stomach dramatically. We all said that we were and grabbed some hot dogs to roast. After everyone heated theirs, we sat down around the fire. I plopped down on a log next to Ally, bumping her knee with mine. She giggled and leaned into me a bit, taking a large bite of her hot dog. When she smiled at me, I couldn't help but laugh as she had a giant glob of ketchup on her lip. I reached out with my napkin and swiped the ketchup off her mouth.

"Thanks," she said, laughing. Then she began to shiver. "Why is it cold? It's summer in Miami."

"It's always kind of cold when camping," I said, sliding my sweatshirt off over my head. "I'm not sure why, I think it's just something that comes with the experience. Here you go."

She took my hoodie and slipped it on. I couldn't help but smile at how adorable she looked in the baggy jacket. "Thanks again," she said, giving me a smile. I grabbed my guitar from my tent and began strumming, while Ally and I sung some of our songs. Eventually everyone else joined in, and we were having a campfire jam session.

"This is awesome," I shouted, as Rydel passed out metal sticks with marshmallows on them. We all toasted the white globs and slid them between graham crackers and chocolate. "These are so good."

Ally leaned into my side again, this time putting her head on my shoulder. I leaned my head on top of hers, and I caught Rydel's wink across the fire. I slid an arm around Ally's shoulders and pulled her a bit closer to me. "Are you warming up?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Als," I said, rubbing her arm. "Alright, guys, who wants to call it a night? We can go swimming or hiking tomorrow, so we should get some rest."

Everyone agreed and we walked to our tents. I grabbed two water bottles out of the cooler in ours and went to offer them to the girls. When I got close to their tent, however, I heard them talking. I wouldn't normally eavesdrop, but it's my cousin and my best friend. Obviously I want to know what they're talking about, and if they are getting along well.

I stood quietly outside their tent, listening. "Do you really think that Austin likes me?" I could hear Ally asked. I smiled, glad that she wanted to know, but then frowned, hoping Rydel wouldn't tell her. When the time comes, I want to be the one to tell Ally how I feel.

"Well, I don't know for sure," Rydel said, and I knew she was lying for my sake. "But I'd say it's a pretty safe bet. I mean, you guys are best friends, write songs together, go everywhere, and flirt without realizing it. You guys always have to touch each other, or are always looking at each other. And for goodness sakes, you told me that he helped you scrape bird poop off your patio for two hours one day. **(1)** You really think a guy would do that for you if he didn't feel something?"

"I don't know," Ally said. I took that chance to stomp my feet, making it seem like I was just walking over to the tent. Rydel unzipped the tent flap and looked out at me.

"Hey ladies," I said, bending down to step into the tent. Ally was wearing a pair of pajama shorts and my hoodie, with her hair tied up in a ponytail. She reached for her hair to fix it, but I grinned at her. "You look amazing as usual, Als," I said. She smiled back and stopped trying to fix her hair. "Anyway, I just came by to offer you some waters." I handed them the bottles.

"Thanks, cous," Rydel said, giving me a high-five. "Goodnight."

Ally stood up and hugged me. "Thank you, Austin," she said, wrapping her arms around me. I hugged her back and buried my nose in her hair. "See you tomorrow morning."

"Night, Als," I said, ruffling her ponytail and heading for the tent flap. "Goodnight, Rydel," I called, waving to them both. Rydel zipped the tent back behind me, and I started walking back towards my own tent.

"See?" I heard Rydel exclaim from a few feet away. "You two are so obliviously adorable." I grinned and rolled my eyes as I burrowed into my sleeping bag, ready for a good day tomorrow.

**(A/N - and there is the first chapter of their camping experience! What did you guys think? Review!)**

**(1) So, I put this in here because one of my friends really liked this guy, and didn't know if he liked her back. One day when she invited him over to hang out, he helped her scrape bird poop off her deck for 2 hours. Then later, when she asked some of us if we thought he liked her, we were like, "You're kidding, right? He offered to help you scrape bird poop, he obviously likes you." It sounds really gross, but it was actually really sweet. (:**


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N - yo! here's the next chapter! hope you like it! Read, review, favorite, subscribe, PM me, or something! :D Thanks for being awesome!)**

I woke up way earlier than everyone else the next morning to set up breakfast. I grabbed the granola bars and fruits that we packed, set up some waters and juice boxes. "Hey, rockstar," I heard a comfortingly familiar voice say quietly from behind me. "You're up pretty early."

I spun around to face Ally, who was smling lightly and tightening her ponytail. "So are you," I pointed out, smiling back. "Did I wake you up?"

"No," she said reassuringly, now standing right in front of me. She wrapped her arms around me in a small hug. "I always get up early when I go camping. It's nice to get a walk in before it gets noisy. Like a one on one with nature."

"Well," I said, lacing up my hiking boots. "Would you mind if we made it a two on one with nature? I would love to join you."

"I think I can deal with that," she teased, nudging me gently with her elbow. We started walking towards the trees. "How did you sleep last night?"

I smiled at how caring she always is. "Great," I said. "You know, I usually hate waking up early, but I don't mind it out here. How about you?"

"The best sleep I have had in a while," Ally said, her eyes dancing with happiness. "And I know what you mean. I'm always a bit of an early riser, but it's even nicer out here. It's - serene."

I nodded and we walked on in a comfortable silence. Every few feet, our hands brushed against each other. This time, when my hand grazed hers, I reached out and lightly grabbed it, intertwining our fingers. She looked over at me with a face of slight confusion, and I gave her hand a squeeze.

She squeezed back and sent me a smile that I was sure would make me drop to my knees right there in the middle of the forest. But I kept my cool and we continued walking on, hand in hand. "This is nice," I whispered, looking up at the trees around us. Birds were chirping, and small animals were jumping from tree to tree, or rustling in the bushes.

"I wouldn't trade this for the world," Ally said, nodding her head.

I stopped and turned to look at her. "What would you not trade for the world?" I asked, gazing into her eyes with a small smile. "Are you talking about this moment, our friendship, or me?"

She bit her lip and smiled back. "All of the above," she declared confidently. I grinned, and I debated telling her right now how I felt. The moment seemed so right, and we were standing so close, just watching each other. But suddenly, my watch beeped, and I realized that we needed to get back to camp. Everyone else was probably awake by now and we need to set up a plan for the day.

We walked briskly back to our tents, still hand in hand. Ten minutes later, we broke through the trees and into the clearing, where my cousins and Dez were eating. "Goodmorning, everyone," I called over, waving with my free hand.

"Not even an hour into the day, and you two can't refrain from doing something romantic," Rydel grinned, shaking her head in mock disappointment. I blushed and Ally and I released hands - but I know that the intertwined fingers did not go unnoticed by everyone.

"Shut up," I chuckled, trying to hide my blush by tossing an acorn at Dez. It hit him on the forehead and he jumped a few seconds later, swatting at the air. "Nice reflexes, Dez," I said sarcastically, making everyone laugh.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Riker asked, chucking part of his granola bar at Rocky's head. "We found a lake about ten minutes from here that looked pretty good, so do you guys want to go there?"

"That sounds good," I said. "We can pack lunches and bring them with us, and swim. We can bring the fishing poles to try to catch something, and if we don't get anything, then we still have some hot dogs in the cooler. Everybody down with that?"

Everyone agreed, and we went to our tents to change into our swimsuits. I walked back outside and packed some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a few bags of chips. I stuffed a few granola bars and drinks into the bag and set it aside. Then I ran to the truck and got two fishing poles.

I came back to see everybody waiting. "Lead the way," I said to Riker, who had scoped out the lake the day before. Within ten minutes we arrived, and I found a rope hanging from a branch that stretches out across the water. I threw my shirt to the side, tested the rope for sturdiness. It seemed pretty strong, so I latched on and swung out over the water, letting go and doing a backflip into the cold lake.

A few seconds later, I resurfaced, hooting with joy. "Come on in, guys," I shouted over to everyone. "The water is great!" Riker and Rocky jumped in without a second thought, and Ratliff and Dez joined us shortly after. "Come on, girls," I said, attempting to splash water in their direction. Rydel slowly eased into the water, but Ally still looked hesitant. I swam over to the edge where she was standing. "What's the matter, Als?" I asked. I know she can swim, so I'm not sure what the problem is.

She bent down next to me. "Is it cold?" she asked, with a timid expression on her face.

"A little bit," I replied honestly. "But you get used to it quickly. You just have to jump in. Here, go over to the rope."

"I don't know," she said nervously, eyeing the rope.

"Als, I promise it's safe," I said, swimming towards the rope. "And I promise I'm right here." She looked at me and I shot her my best smile. She grinned back and clutched the rope, jumping up and swinging. "Okay, let go now," I called out.

She did and came plummeting towards the water, landing just a foot away from me. "Woohoo," I shouted, reaching out and pulling her into a hug in the water. "Ally, you did it."

"I know," she said, as we faced each other, treading water. "And this isn't too cold." I laughed because her teeth were chattering, but she looked like she was really having a good time. "Thanks, Austin," she said, looking at me seriously. She kissed my cheek quickly then swam over to Rydel in shallower water. I reached my hand up to my cheek feeling the heat creep to the spot where her lips just were. Ally looked over her shoulder and saw me standing there, wide-eyed. She winked and grinned, snapping me out of my trance. What was that about? That was so flirtatious. Does Ally like me?

I shook the feeling and swam over to the guys, splashing around. Around noon, we all got out of the water and ate lunch. I felt something hit me in the head and looked up to see a potato chip sitting in front of me. I looked around and my eyes trained on Ally, who was smirking and trying to hold in giggles.

I threw a handful of chips back at her. "Haha," I laughed sarcastically, as she walked over and sat down next to me, propping her legs up on top of my own. "Comfortable?" I asked.

She either didn't hear the sarcasm, or chose to ignore it, because she nodded her head with a content smile. "Yep," she said, flicking a bread crumb at me. I swiped at some peanut butter from my sandwich and booped her nose, simultaneously getting peanut butter on her face. "Hey," she exclaimed, advancing towards me with peanut butter on her own fingers. She got close to my face, but I acted like I was going to bite her fingers, so she pulled back, wiping the peanut butter off.

"Truce?" I asked, sticking my hand out to shake.

She laughed and took my hand. "Truce," she agreed, leaning back so that her head was on my lap. I stroked my fingers lazily through her hair while she absentmindedly poked my arm. "Want to go fishing now?" she asked eventually.

I looked down at her. "You know how to fish?" I asked disbelievingly. "Kind of," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, I can try. How about we make it a competition. Whoever catches the most fish, gets to make the other person tell them something."

"Als, we know practically everything about each other," I pointed out. "What would we make the other person tell?"

Ally scratched her head. "I don't know," she said, shrugging her shoulders. Then she snapped her fingers. "I got it. We can make the other person tell us who they like." I pointed out that I already knew she has a crush on Dallas. She shook her head no. "I stopped liking him after Trish's quincenera," she said, taking me by surprise.

"Okay," I said, now curious at who Ally may like. I hope it's me. "Let's do this. Whoever catches the most fish in the next hour wins." I was terrified of having to tell Ally that it was her that I like. But I am confident enough in my fishing skills that I don't think I will lose.

An hour later, Ally and I counted up our fish in the buckets nearby. "Five," I said confidently, thinking that I have achieved victory.

Ally finished counting her fish and grinned up at me. "Five," she said, showing me her bucket, which did, indeed, contain five fish. "So it's a tie."

"Does that mean the bet is off?" I asked sadly. I was really looking foward to finding out who Ally liked. It could be me. Then again, it could be somebody else, which would make me really jealous.

"Nope," Ally said, nudging me with her shoulder. "It means we both have to say it. Just - not yet. Let's say it at a spontaneous time." I nodded my head in agreement, even though not knowing was going to drive me crazy. The only reason I agreed is because this meant I had a longer wait to tell Ally. We all swam for a while longer then headed back to the camp site, my head swirling with thoughts.

**(A/N - lalalala, i know a lot of you guys want Austin to say it already, but I'm going to be terrible and hold it out until like, the day before his cousins leave, meaning it's many chapters away. In the meantime, though, those chapters will still be fluffy, cute, and Auslly-filled, so no worries. :D Sorry that I have not been PM-ing all my reviewers recently. I try really hard, but I get so caught up in school that I often forget. But I shall start personally thanking you all again soon, because I really do appreciate you guys! Sorry for the rambling author's note. As usual, please review, and thank you for reading!)**


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N - hey guys! So I, (the writer) love you guys, (the readers) so much, that I decided to give you another chapter today. Just think of it as a way early (or late) birthday present. I know, I know, I'm a nice girl... Actually, the real reason is because I have been doing some serious procrastination on studying for my final exams tomorrow. So... enjoy. ;D )**

"Austin, you alright?" I heard someone ask from beside me. "You haven't been talking for like, half an hour. What's up, man?" I turned to see Riker sitting next to me. I thought about confiding in him, because if I were to talk to any of my cousins about this, it would be him or Rydel. They give the best advice, while Ratliff and Rocky are more into making jokes. My first choice to have a deep conversation with would be Ally, but since she is the reason that I'm being quiet, I guess I can't do that. And Dez is like a brother to me, and a great listener, but Ally and Trish have ways of prying information out of him.

"Yeah, I'm alright," I sighed quietly, making sure nobody else could hear. Rydel and Ally were in their tent, and the rest of the guys were on a hike, so it seemed safe. "It's just, that Ally and I made a bet today, and the loser has to tell the winner who they like. We tied, though, so we decided we both had to tell - but at a random time, not right then. And I'm really excited to find out who Ally likes, but I'm dreading the moment that I might have to tell her, because she might not feel the same way."

"Look, man," he said, glancing over at the girl's tent as they erupted in giggles. "Ally totally likes you. I know that you won't believe it until you hear her say it, but I can tell. Look, you said that you were going to tell her before we leave. That's only a little over a week away, and if we can help you at all, we will."

"Thanks, bro," I said, giving him a fist bump. "I just really hope you're right about how Ally feels." We got quiet when we heard a zipper noise, and turned to see Ally and Rydel leaving their tent, cracking up.

"Uh, are we interrupting something?" Rydel asked, looking back and forth between Riker and I. They could probably tell that we were having a conversation.

"Not at all," I said, standing up and smiling. "We were just talking." I looked over to Ally who was giving me a shy smile. I winked at her, and the blush that crept to her cheeks didn't go unnoticed.

"Austin, will you come with me to the lake?" Rydel asked, giving me a look. "I left my towel there this afternoon, and I don't want to go back alone." I nodded and we headed off in that direction. A minute or so into the trees, however, Rydel plopped down on a low branch in a large tree and patted the branch next to it.

"Don't we need to go get your towel?" I asked, giving her a perplexed glance. I sat on the branch anyway, though.

"No, it's in my tent," she said, rolling her eyes. This only made me more confused, so I motioned for her to continue. "I just wanted to talk to you. So, how much of our conversation did you hear last night? Because I know you were listening outside of our tent." My eyes grew wide, and Rydel laughed. "Don't worry, I didn't tell Ally that you were listening. But I just want to know why, and what you heard."

"Okay, well I really was just bringing you guys some water," I said truthfully. "But I heard Ally say, 'You think Austin really likes me?', and I kept listening. I just wanted to hear if Ally liked me or not, but now I realize that if she does, I want her to tell me to my face. But I still don't think she likes me."

Rydel groaned. "You two are so oblivious to the obvious," she shouted, rolling her eyes. I started to ask her about it, but she cut me off. "If you want to know anything else, just ask Ally. Let's go." We started walking back to the camp site, and found that Dez, Rocky, and Ratliff still weren't back from their hike. We did see Ally and Riker in the middle of a hug, however.

I felt a surge of jealousy and stomped off towards my tent, crawling into my sleeping bag. I heard the shuffling of fabric from the front of the tent, and groaned. "What do you want, Riker?" I asked, bitterly. I can't believe that he's the one that Ally likes - my own cousin. And how could he do that to me? He just told me that he thinks Ally likes me and that I should tell her how I feel!

"Um," I heard a soft voice say, and I turned to see Ally easing onto the ground next to me, reaching out to put a hand on my arm. "What was that all about? Are you okay?" I sighed and pulled myself up into a sitting position.

"So, Riker is the guy you like, huh?" I asked, glancing over at her. For some reason, I couldn't meet her gaze. "You can go ahead and tell me. We both lost the bet, remember?"

She quirked an eyebrow at me. "Riker?" she asked. "Okay, first of all, he is four years older than me. Second, no, I don't like him. I mean, he's a cool guy and all, and really nice, like an older brother almost. But, I don't like him like that. I was just asking him for guy advice. And third, if I ever did like him, it would be because of how much he reminds me of the guy that I really like."

I slapped my hand to my forehead repetitively, muttering how stupid I am. I can't believe I jumped to conclusions, thinking that Ally likes my cousin, and that he liked her back. I should've known that Riker would never do that to me. "Sorry, Als," I said, finally looking her in the eyes.

They were full of concern and were practically boring holes right through me. I reached out and grabbed her hand, intertwining our fingers. "Austin?" she asked, looking up at me. "Please tell me what is going on."

"It's nothing," I said, giving her hand a squeeze. "It's just a guy thing. I promise you don't need to worry about it. I just freaked out a bit about my twenty year-old cousin and sixteen year-old best friend possibly liking each other."

She looked like she bought it, and she leaned in and pressed her lips against my cheek quickly. "Well, thank you for worrying about me," she whispered, wrapping her arms around me in a hug.

This is the third time that Ally has kissed me on the cheek. But this time, I did something different, something that I didn't even think I would do. I leaned down and pressed _my_ lips against _her_ cheek. "I'm always going to worry about you, Als," I whispered back.

When I leaned back, she reached up and touched her cheek looking at me with a mix of awe and confusion. We just sat there, grinning at each other, and once again, I had an inner battle, wondering if now was the right time to tell her. "Yo, Austin," I heard Dez shout from outside, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Where are you? I found a squirrel."

"I guess we should go," I said to Ally, taking her hand and helping her to her feet. We ducked out of the tent, and I saw Dez standing there, with a squirrel latched to his arm. My cousins were all standing a good distance away from him, glancing towards the squirrel with looks of fear. "Dez," I said cautiously, gently pushing Ally behind me. I didn't want to the squirrel to suddenly go ballistic and hurt anyone, especially her.

"It's going to be my new best friend," Dez said excitedly, putting his hand out towards the squirrel, as if expecting a high-five. The squirrel narrowed it's eyes and flashed it's teeth in Dez's direction.

"Dez, let the squirrel go, buddy," I said, giving him a small smile. "He isn't going to be a good friend. You need to let him go."

Dez looked sad, and after a few more moments of pleading, he relented. "Fine," he grumbled, motioning for the squirrel to go away. Much to my surprise, the squirrel seemed to understand, and leapt off of his shoulder, scurrying off to the trees. "I just lost my best friend," he said, hanging his head glumly.

"Hey," Ratliff shouted, giving him a man hug. "I'm right here, buddy." We all laughed, since Dez and Ratliff were actually similar in a lot of ways. After everyone calmed down at the almost attack by squirrel, we started a new campfire.

"This fish is so good," Rocky exclaimed, after we had cooked all of the fish that Ally and I caught today. "Compliments to the catchers."

Ally took a bow, while I jokingly curtsied. Everyone laughed, and I began dancing like a ballerina. I tripped over one of the logs we were using as benches, however, and fell to the ground, with my ankle throbbing.

"Austin," Ally shouted, running to my side. She bent down and started looking at my ankle, while the others circled around me, mumbling worried thoughts aloud. "Oh my gosh, are you okay? Does it hurt? Oh, man, it's swollen."

I tried to send her a small smile, but a grimace of pain took over my facial features as I went to clutch my ankle. Ally grabbed my hands before I could touch it however, and gripped them tightly in her own. "Don't touch it," she instructed, a warning look taking over her face. "Rydel, Austin keeps a huge first aid kit in his dad's truck. Can you and one of the boys go get it?"

She nodded and pushed Riker off towards the truck, going as speedily as they could, while being careful. We don't want a repeat of what just happened to me. "Thanks, Als," I whispered, and it came out raspy from the pain I was feeling.

Ally just nodded and leaned down to hug me. "You're going to be alright," she whispered, squeezing my hands. "I promise. You always look out for me, now I'm going to look out for you." And, despite the throbbing pain in my ankle that was growing worse by the second, I knew she was right.

**(A/N - oh, no! Austin is hurt! D: so, what did you think? As usual, thanks for reading, and please review!)**


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N - woo, my procrastination totally showed from my exam grade in math today. ): merrr. oh well! Here's another chapter! Enjoy!)**

I forced my eyes open to find myself sleeping in a tent - but, not my own. It was the bright yellow color of the small tent, the girls' tent. I looked around to see Rydel sleeping on the other side of the tent, and next to me, wrapped in my arms, was Ally. She was curled up against my chest with my head leaning down on top of hers, and my arms gripping her tightly. And yet, she was sound asleep, looking even younger and more angelic since she was relaxed. I nuzzled my nose into her hair and pulled her a bit closer to me, making sure to not wake her up in the process. Before I could wonder how I ended up in this tent or this position, a surge of pain ran through my ankle, and I grimaced, clenching my teeth and trying not to shout out in pain or thrash around.

"How is it feeling?" I heard a soft voice ask. I looked down to see Ally opening her eyes slowly, sending me a tired smile. I guess that when I felt the pain, I also tightened my grip around her, making her wake up.

"It hurts a bit," I admitted, shrugging. "But not nearly as bad as last night. Speaking of which, what happened? I seriously don't remember anything."

She giggled and turned so that she was facing me. My arms were still wrapped around her protectively. "Well," she said, rolling her eyes. "It started out with you dancing around like a fool. Then you tripped and sprained your ankle. Rydel and Riker got the first aid kit from your dad's truck, and I gave you some Advil, which also made you really tired. Then I wrapped your ankle up, and had Riker and Rocky carry you in here so that Rydel and I could keep an eye on you through the night. And then we ended up here."

When she said the last part, she buried her head into my chest, curling up even closer to me. I couldn't help but smile. I honestly had the best friend in the entire world - she helped my ankle, and even sacrificed a lot of her own sleep last night for me. "Thank you, Als," I whispered, kissing the top of her head. "You're the best."

"I don't know about that," she answered, looking up at me and smiling lightly. "You're pretty great yourself." I saw a light blush creep to her cheeks, and she ducked her head again. "Well, I guess we can't take a walk this morning. And we're leaving in a few hours anyway. The sprain isn't too bad, but once we get home, I'm not letting you walk for at least three days. Wheelchair or crutches, you choose."

"I guess I'll go with crutches again," I said, finally releasing her and propping myself up on my elbow. I immediately missed the warmth. I crawled towards the entrance of the tent, and once outside, Ally pulled me to my feet. "Man, you got stronger," I teased, limping towards a log to sit on. "Look at these guns. Pieu, pieu." I made her arm into a muscle and she giggled.

"Okay, so I'll set up breakfast today," she said, walking over to the food and grabbing the remaining food and granola bars. And then, we're going to pack everything up and head home. I don't think it's a good idea for you to drive, since your ankle might start hurting, so I'm going to see if Rocky can drive the truck home, with Dez in the car. Does that sound good?"

I sighed, wishing she wouldn't worry so much. She sat down on the log next to me, and I noticed that she was still wearing my hoodie. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and let her lean into me. "Sounds great," I said, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "You always have the best plans."

"Not for everything," she mumbled, biting her lip. I was going to ask her what she meant, but the guy's tent opened, and Rocky, Riker, Ratliff, and Dez stumbled out, rubbing their tired eyes. "Hey, guys," Ally greeted happily, waving.

"Hey, Ally, Austin," they greeted, shooting us small smiles. Ally motioned for Rocky to come join us on the bench, and ran through the driving arrangements with him. He agreed to drive the truck home.

"Yo, Ratliff," Riker shouted. "Wake up Rydel, will you? We need to pack soon." Ratliff nodded and began scratching at Rydel's tent, growling loudly like a bear. We all heard Rydel scream, and come running out of the tent, wide-eyed, and making us all laugh.

"_Ratliff_," she shouted, punching him in the arm. "That was so not funny." But she was giggling too, and we all knew she didn't mind. Ally and I ran the packing and driving plans by everyone, and we all agreed, eating the last bits of breakfast that we had. Then we began disassembling the tents, packing our bags, and cleaning up the area to keep nature exactly that - natural.

"You ready to hobble?" Ally asked, coming up beside me and wrapping an arm around my waist. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and we walked towards the truck together, me not putting much weight on my bad ankle, but at the same time, trying not to put too much weight on Ally.

After a few minutes, we made it to the truck, where Rocky was waiting. It was already packed and Dez, Riker, Ratliff, and Rydel left in the car a few minutes ago. Ally slid into the middle seat and I hopped into the passenger seat, letting her lean on me. I slung my arm around her shoulders and let her rest her head on my chest, since she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Within a few minutes of driving, she was sound asleep, her hands on my stomach and my arms wrapped around her, stroking my fingers through her hair.

"Still just best friends?" Rocky asked quietly from the driver's seat, raising his eyebrows. He shot me a smile and turned the radio on low, so we could still talk.

"Yeah, yeah," I replied, rolling my eyes, but grinning. "Riker and Rydel swear that she likes me, but I just want her to tell me for sure, you know? I'm definitely going to tell her by the time you guys leave how I feel. I'm just waiting for the right time."

Rocky nodded. "For what it's worth, you guys are perfect for each other," Rocky commented. Then he groaned. "Ugh, you guys are so cute that it's making me soft." I laughed and rolled my eyes again before thanking him for driving.

I slid down lower in the seat, and rested my head on top of Ally's, falling asleep shortly after. An hour later, Rocky shook me awake, sitting in our driveway. I looked down at Ally who was smiling in her sleep, and I couldn't even think of waking her. "Can you carry her up to my room?" I asked Rocky. He nodded and gently and respectfully lifted Ally, carrying her into the house. Dez's mom picked him up in the driveway, and we carried all the bags inside, with me hobbling.

I hopped up to my room on one foot, to see Rocky gently laying Ally down on my bed. "Thanks, man," I said, as he walked out the door. He nodded and went back downstairs. I wouldn't normally trust anyone else with carrying Ally like that, but I couldn't do it, since I can barely walk by myself. Plus, I trusted all of my cousins enough to know that they wouldn't intentionally hurt her. I tucked the covers up around Ally, and sat on the bed next to her, running my fingers through her hair.

"Austin?" she asked quietly, her eyelids fluttering open.

"Yeah, Als?" I asked, shooting her a smile and reaching for her hand.

She smiled back and intertwined our fingers. "Thanks for the awesome camping trip," she whispered, cuddling up to my side. "It was the best weekend ever."

"Ever?" I asked in mock disbelief. "Even better than the weekend we spent eating junk and watching movies? Or how about the one when we lived in the practice room for like, three days, coming up with songs? Or, how about the one when-"

"Any time spent with you is the best," she said sleepily, smiling and falling into a gentle snore within moments. I just grinned down at her, gaining more and more hope everyday that she might like me back the way I like her.

**(A/N - lalalala, i have R5's 'All about the girl' stuck in my head. AHH. i'm actually liking this story. I think it will be at least twenty chapters. So, what do you guys think? :D Thanks for reading, and pretty please with sugar on top, review!)**


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N - here I am with another chapter! I hope you like it!)**

"Hey, sleepyhead," I whispered to Ally whose eyelids were fluttering open. She rubbed her eyes and smiled up at me. I was sitting up next to her sleeping form on the bed for the past three hours, our fingers intertwined. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Amazing," she said, blinking a few times. "How long did I sleep? What time is it?" She looked at our somewhat intimate position and blushed, looking away. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"About three hours," I said, helping her into a sitting position. "And it's two in the afternoon. Do you want to stay for dinner tonight?"

"That would be nice," she said, taking her hand from mine to pull her hair back into a ponytail. "Let's go downstairs to see what everyone is up to." I went to stand up, but quickly remembered my ankle. Ally must have remembered at the same time as me, though, because she put a hand on my shoulders, keeping me from standing. "Where did you put the crutches last time you used them?"

I racked my brain, trying to remember. "Oh," I said, snapping my fingers. "They're in my closet." Ally nodded and walked over to it, opening the door and walking in.

I heard her laughing and looked over to where she was standing inside the closet. "Seriously, Austin?" she asked, waving a pair of boxers around. "Superman undies?" I groaned and slapped my hand over my face, only making her giggle more. A few minutes later, she came out, with the crutches in hand. "One day, can I just go on a scavenger hunt through your closet? I just found a football helmet, a can of Dr. Pepper, and your life-sized chocolate Austin."

"One day," I said, rolling my eyes and hoisting myself into a standing position with the help of the crutches. "On one condition: I get to go through your closet." Her eyes went wide and she shook her head no. "What's the matter, Als?" I teased, nudging her with one of my crutches. "Got some big secret?"

She only laughed. "Maybe," she mumbled, walking downstairs. I followed her, hopping, of course, and we walked into the kitchen, where my parents were.

"Hey, Austin, Ally," they said, waving at us. "How was the camping trip? And Austin, how's your ankle? Riker told us about it, but we wanted to know how you are feeling. We didn't want to come check because we thought you might be sleeping."

"The trip was great," I said, nodding my head. "My ankle is a little sore, but Ally says if I stay off it for a few days, it should heal easily. And I wasn't sleeping, but Als was. Is it okay if she stays for dinner?"

"We would love that," my father said. My mother agreed, and I asked them where everyone was. "Lacey and Rydel went to the mall, and Riker, Ratliff, and Rocky went with Thomas to some arcade."

"Okay, so should we just do whatever until dinner?" I asked, looking over at Ally. She sent me a warm smile, and I grinned back.

"Go ahead," my mom said. "But no leaving the house. I don't want you putting too much weight on that ankle, yet." I groaned and rolled my eyes, but Ally led me into the entertainment room, pushing me down lightly on the couch.

"Hey," I shouted in mock-anger. "That wasn't nice. Don't you know not to push people? Especially when they're on crutches."

She rolled her eyes and inserted a movie to the television. "Don't _you_ know not to sass people who are helping you?" she teased, sitting down next to me on the couch. She took my crutches and set them down a few feet away. I asked her why she did that. "So you can't get up and change the movie," she smirked, leaning her head on my shoulders.

"Why would I need to change the movie?" I asked. Then it hit me. "Ally," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Which one?" I knew she put in a chick flick. To be honest, I didn't mind, because I knew Ally likes girly movies, but I still like to make a big fuss over it.

"The Last Song," she quipped happily, as I slung my arm over her shoulder. "You'll love it." I seriously doubt that, but nodded my head in agreement anyway. If Ally is happy, that's all that matters.

We watched the movie, with Ally silently shedding tears during sad parts, and giggling during funny parts. During romantic parts, she_ 'aww'd_, and nuzzled closer to me, which made me really happy. All throughout the movie, I continued thinking about telling Ally how I feel - when to do it, how to do it, what to say. I also imagined us as the characters, having a flirty mud fight, or watching a turtle nest on the beach together.

"Miley isn't that pretty," Ally said eventually, looking towards me. "You can stop staring, the movie is over." I looked down at her to see that she actually looked a bit - jealous?

"Allyson Marie Dawson," I said, feigning shock. "Are you jealous? That I might like a _celebrity_? Someone who wouldn't give me the time of day?"

"You're a celebrity too," she pointed out, poking me in the stomach. "You're an overnight internet sensation, and people everywhere buy your songs. I'm sure she would pay you some notice."

"_Our_ songs," I corrected, poking her ribs. She giggled and ripped free of my grasp, flopping on the other side of the couch so I wouldn't start tickling her. "And besides, I don't have eyes for Miley Cyrus. I like somebody, remember?"

"Are you going to tell me who now?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

I shook my head. "Nope," I teased. "It has to be _spontaneous_, remember?" She glared at me and I raised my hands in defense. "Your words, not mine."

She rolled her eyes, and it was about an hour until dinner. "I'm going to go see if your mom needs any help making dinner," Ally said, skipping towards the kitchen. I hopped over to my crutches and then made my way down the hall to where my dad was watching a football game.

"Hey, Dad," I called out. "Who's playing?"

He waved to me and grinned. "Eagles and Dolphins," he said, patting the chair next to him. I took the seat and we watched together. "Go, go, go," we shouted, as one of the Miami players made another touchdown, ending the game with a win. "Woohoo!"

My dad began flipping channels, but shortly after switched off the television, turning towards me. "So, son," he said, taking a deep breath. "I have been meaning to tell you this for a while - I'm proud of you, and support any of your decisions one-hundred percent." I was about to ask if that included music, but he continued. "Yes, even music. You have already proven to me that you're good and that you love it, and anything I can do to help you get to where you want to be, just name it. I'm sorry that I ever doubted you, son."

I grinned and gave him a man hug. "Thanks, dad," I said, smiling to myself. My dad finally approves of my music dreams. "Ally and I have worked really hard to get to where we are, and we intend to make it big. I'm glad you approve."

"Speaking of Ally," my dad said, lowering his voice and nudging me. "Tell me what's going on with you and her."

I groaned. "I don't even know anymore," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "I really like her - I might even love her, I'm not sure. And I am going to tell her how I feel soon, but I just don't know when - or how. Plus, I'm not even sure how she feels about me, although, everyone else swears up and down that she likes me back."

"Well, son," my dad said, placing a hanf on my shoulder. "We all like her here very much, so I'm glad that you have picked such a wonderful girl. As for telling her how you feel, you could write her a song. Or you could make her dinner. Or, you could spell it out with her favorite things. Or, you could just take her by the shoulders, look her in the eyes, and tell her. No matter what you do, her response will be the same."

"Thank you," I said, grinning. "I think I want to do something really nice for her. I'll think about it." My mother called us in for dinner, and we sat down. "Where is everyone?" I asked, setting my crutches down.

"Still out," my mother said with a wave of her hand. "They said they wouldn't be home for dinner, so it's just the four of us. Thank you again, Ally, for helping me prepare dinner. I don't know how you came up with that trick to salt the meat, but I am so glad that you did."

I took a giant bite of meat and grinned. "This is delicious," I said, my mouth full. Ally giggled while my mom rolled her eyes, telling me not to talk with food in my mouth. We ate dinner, talking about random things, and it was nice, even if there were only four of us.

"Would you like for me to drive you home, Ally?" my mother asked. "I know Austin would like to, but I'm not letting him drive until his ankle heals. And there is no way I'm allowing you to walk home by yourself at night."

"That would me amazing, Mrs. Moon," Ally said, gathering her things. "And thank you so much." I hopped to the front door, with my mom headed for her car. Ally lingered at the door for a moment. "Goodnight, Austin," she whispered, looking up at me through her long, dark eyelashes.

I bent down to her ear. "Goodnight, Als," I whispered, letting my lips brush lightly against her skin. She shivered but when I straightened out to my full height, she was grinning. She gave me a big hug and a quick wave before running down to my mom's car. I hopped back upstairs with the aid of my crutches and flopped onto my bed, wondering what my mother and Ally would talk about.

**(A/N - so, what did you think? how do you guys want Austin to tell Ally? I have a pretty good idea in mind, but just want to see if you guys have any better ideas! let me know in a review or PM!)**


	12. Chapter 12

**(A/N - hey there! FINALLY done with school! who else is? oh, and here's the next chapter. I wasn't planning on showing you the conversation between Ally and Mrs. Moon, since I haven't switched point of views in this story, but I really liked the idea when **_LoveShipper_** threw it out there! So, thanks for the idea!)**

_**In the car with Ally and Austin's Mom:**_

"Thank you again for letting me stay for dinner and for driving me home," Ally said to Mimi Moon, Austin's mother. They had just pulled out of the driveway, and Ally felt like she was going to thank her at least five more times before they arrived at her own house. She just felt the need to share her gratitude.

"Of course, Ally, dear," Mrs. Moon said, grinning. "And thank you for making my son so happy." Ally looked over at the woman with a slightly confused face. "Oh, dear," Mrs. Moon said, her eyes widening. "I probably shouldn't have said that."

"No, please keep going," Ally said, interested in hearing what she had to say. Austin has obviously talked to his mom about her, and she would love to hear what she has to say.

"Well," Mrs. Moon said, biting her lip. "I know you two are just best friends, but is there a possibility that more is going on? Because it sure seems like it. Austin lights up whenever you're around, when your name is brought up, or even when he is just thinking about you. I see how you two interact. How do you feel about him? I promise, I won't tell."

Ally grinned. "I wish there was more going on," she said, ducking her head to hide her blush. "I really like Austin - as far more than a friend. He is my best friend in the entire world, and makes me feel beautiful, loved, and myself. But I don't think he has the same feelings for me, so I guess we're just friends for now."

Mrs. Moon rolled her eyes knowingly, but held her tongue anyway, knowing that if she gave any more about her son's feelings away, he wouldn't be too happy with her. "Well, here we are," she said, pulling into the Dawson's driveway. "See you tomorrow?"

"Most likely," Ally said, grinning. "Thanks again." With that, she exited the car and walked up to her house, waving before walking in.

_**Back to Austin:**_

I opened my eyes to see that it was a little after six in the morning. Yet, I feel fully rested, probably since I fell asleep so quickly last night. I grabbed my crutches and hobbled downstairs, to see that everyone else was still asleep. I made a huge stack of pancakes for breakfast, enough for all nine of us in the house, and a ton of bacon as well, also filling glasses with orange juice.

My father was the first to trickle in, graciously eating the breakfast and brewing a pot of coffee before heading to work. "Thanks, son," he said sleepily, saluting Austin as he walked out the door. Lacey came next, headed to babysit. She thanked me as well, before bolting out the door.

Thomas, Ratliff, and Rocky came next, scarfing down much of the breakfast before heading out the door to go play golf or something. I would join, but I don't like golf very much, plus I'm on crutches.

My mother entered the kitchen next. "Oh, sweetie," she exclaimed. "You really didn't have to do this. You are on crutches, we should be doing nice things for you."

"It's fine, mom," I replied, letting her kiss the top of my head as she sat in the chair across the table from me. She ate her breakfast, and I remembered something that was buzzing through my mind last night. "So, what did you and Ally talk about in the car last night?" I asked casually.

I could tell that she was stifling giggles. "You," she answered simply. I motioned for her to continue. "We just talked about your more-than-friendship." I groaned, slapping my hand over my face. She probably told Ally all about how I really like her, and now my friendship with her is probably ruined. "Don't worry, I didn't tell her that you love her."

"I never said I was in love with her," I exclaimed, taking a sip of my orange juice. "I might be, but I don't know for sure yet." She rolled her eyes disbelievingly. "So, what did Ally say?"

"Oh, would you look at the time?" my mother asked, pretending to check her watch. "I have to run to work. Thanks again for breakfast, sweetie." With that she waved, grinned, and walked out the door.

A few minutes later, Rydel and Riker walked down the stairs in their pajamas, rubbing their eyes tiredly. "Aww, this is so sweet," Rydel exclaimed, taking a huge bite of pancake.

"This is good, bro," Riker said, nodding his head. "So, what kind of plans do you have today?"

I sighed. "I'm not really allowed to leave the house until my ankle heals a bit," I said grumpily. "But, I'm planning on going out tomorrow, crutches or not."

Rydel bit her lip. "Oh," she said. "Well, we were planning on going to buy some souvenirs today, but I guess we can stay here if you really want us to. You could probably use some company."

"No, no," I said, waving my hands. "You guys can go! I'll ask Ally to come over today, or something."

"See?" Riker teased. "He doesn't need us to hang around today. His girl, Ally, is coming over. In fact, he'll probably beg us to get out of the house."

"Shut up," I muttered, but laughing. They both thanked me for breakfast and left the house. I grabbed my cell phone and called Ally. "Hi, Als," I said into the phone.

"Hey, Austin," she said. I could hear the smile in her voice. "What's up?"

"Do you want to come over today?" I asked, hopefully. "I'm all alone, and I know your dad gave you a bit of time off, so... I mean, only if you're not busy, and you want to, but-"

"Austin," she cut me off, giggling. "I'll be over in fifteen minutes. See you soon." I thanked her and we hung up. I quickly hopped up the stairs on my crutches and threw on a pair of ripped jeans, with a green and blue plaid shirt over my blue Hollister t-shirt. I ran my hands through my hair, since I know that Ally likes my hair messier, then hopped back down the stairs just as Ally was walking up the drive.

I opened the door when her finger was hovering just above the doorbell. "Oh, hey," she grinned, dropping her hand and coming inside. She looked at my outfit. "You're dressed nice. I thought we were just hanging out." She helped me hobble over to the entertainment room, where I had already inserted a horror movie.

"We are," I shrugged, plopping down on the couch and patting the spot next to me. She was wearing a pair of shorts and one of my hoodies, with her hair pulled back by a headband. "You look beautiful as always, Als," I said, grinning.

Instead of blushing, she just smiled back. "Thanks, Austin," she said, leaning her head on my shoulder. I put my arm around her and pulled her closer. "So what movie are we watching?"

"Paranormal Activity," I said, smiling. She groaned. "This is payback for making me watch the chick flick the other day." She grumbled some more, but obliged anyway. I know Ally thinks horror movies are boring, but I was secretly hoping that one day she would get scared and cuddle up to me or bury her head in my chest or something.

About halfway through the movie, I felt Ally jump and burrow into my arms, shaking. I wrapped my arms around her protectively, smiling that I could finally do this. "Als, are you scared?" I whispered, rubbing her back soothingly. She nodded her head and ducked her head again. "It's just a movie. I promise."

We stayed like that for the rest of the movie, and at the end, Ally sat up, a big grin on her face. "So, what do you want to watch next?" she asked, walking over to the DVD cabinet.

"Wait, you aren't scared anymore?" I asked, confused. She had gone from shaking to grinning in seconds. Ally bit her lip and started playing with her thumbs, and then it hit me. "You weren't actually scared."

"Well, no," she admitted, sighing. "But I know that guys like when girls get scared during movies and cuddle up, so I did. You're not mad that I pretended, are you?"

I couldn't hold in my laugh. "Ally," I said between chuckles. "Of course I'm not mad. You just spent two hours pretending you were scared just because you knew I wanted to be comforting. How could I be mad at that?"

"I guess you just can't be mad at me," she teased, sticking her tongue out and turning back to the cabinet before selecting a DVD and putting it in.

"I really can't," I said, rolling my eyes and grinning. She layed down on the couch, putting her head in my lap. "So, what movie did you pick this time?"

"Tangled," she said, smiling up at me.

I grinned back. "I love this movie," I exclaimed, running my fingers through her hair gently. "It's so funny. And romantic."

Ally glanced up at me. "You like romance?" she asked, a light smile playing across her lips.

"Who doesn't?" I responded, smirking. She winked at me, and I could literally feel my heart start beating faster. When did Ally learn to flirt? I guess I'm rubbing off on her after all. We both turned our attention back to the screen, and watched the movie, laughing and singing along.

When it was over, Ally sat on the floor in front of me, and I attempted to braid her hair. "Go look at it," I said, trying to hold back my laughter. Ally's hair was twisted around in the weirdest ways - let's just say I'm not good at braiding. She skipped off to the bathroom down the hall and I could hear her laughter loud and clear. "Hey, it's not that bad," I shouted, cracking up myself.

She came back into the room, her hair still crazy. "If you say so," she giggled, rolling her eyes. "Let's take a picture like this."

She pulled out her phone and we began to take pictures of us together. The first one crazy, since her hair was all over the place. Then, she rebraided her hair, making it look much nicer this time, and we took a funny face picture, a normal picture, and a picture of us laughing.

When she went to take the last picture, I leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek, just before the phone made the noise of a camera shutter. I pulled back and grinned at her, since she still looked stunned.

I looked down at the phone screen and couldn't help but laugh. The picture showed Ally, wide-eyed and grinning, with a blush quickly rising to her cheeks. My head was turned a bit, and my eyes were closed, since I was kissing her cheek, but you could still see that I was smiling broadly. "I like it," I chuckled.

Ally turned towards me, finally smiling. "Me too," she said, setting the phone as her new background picture. I grinned and we just lounged on the couch a bit longer. "I hope I find my Flynn Rider someday," she sighed quietly.

"Maybe he's closer than you think," I whispered, nudging her playfully with my elbow. "Maybe you just have to let your hair down long enough for him to come into the tower." Ally giggled at the analogy and rested her head on my chest, smiling. I hope she understood what I really meant by that. I also think I just found out how to tell Ally how I feel.

**(A/N - that was the chapter! did you like it? and i realized a huge problem with Auslly fanfiction... I love it so much and it's so believable that everytime I actually watch Austin and Ally, I think 'Wait, why aren't they together?', because I can really imagine them acting that out while I read. who else has that problem, hahah? Anyways, thanks for reading and please leave a review!)**


	13. Chapter 13

**(A/N - ayeeeeo! next chapter, coming at you guys! enjoy!)**

"So, is your ankle feeling any better?" Ally asked me, turning her head in my lap. Her face was full of concern - typical Ally. "You seem like you're not in as much pain."

"I'm not," I said grinning. "I'm feeling a lot better, I just can't wait to get off these crutches." She still looked unconvinced, so I used my fingers to turn her mouth into a smile. "Turn that frown upside-down," I said in a baby voice.

Ally glared at me playfully but quickly erupted into a burst of giggles. She was laughing so hard that she fell off my lap and onto the ground. "Als, are you okay?" I asked, leaning over and looking at her. She was on the ground, cringing in what I assume is pain. She shook her head no, and I offered her my hand.

She looked at my hand then shot me a mischievious grin. After grabbing my hand, she yanked me onto the ground next to her. I mumbled in pain. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" Ally asked, looking at me with concern.

"Nah, I'm good," I said, smiling.

She smiled back. "Good," she said, spinning over so she was directly next to me. She reached out and started tickling my sides. "Tickle monster," she shouted, running her hands over my stomach.

"Als, stop," I exclaimed, rolling around and trying to get out of her reach. I was cracking up and jerking around in every way. "Please, Ally!" She just giggled and continued to tickle me.

She took a small break, and I rolled over, pinning her to the ground. We were grinning and both breathing very heavily. "Thanks," I whispered, looking down into her eyes.

She shot me a small, seductive smile. "Anything for you," she breathed, looking at me from beneath her eyelashes. We layed there for a few more moments, and I just watched her. She looked from my eyes to my lips, then back again. And at that moment, I just couldn't control myself, I began leaning down to close the already small gap between our lips.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned up a bit. Just when our lips were about to meet, we both heard her cell phone ringing loudly on the table beside the couch. I sighed and rolled off of her, letting her stand up and get her phone. "Hello," she snapped into the phone. "Yeah, Trish, you kind of were interrupting something." She paused, obviously listening to whatever Trish was saying. "Oh, man, I'm so sorry. Sure, I'll be over in like, thirty minutes."

She hung up the phone and turned to me, biting her lip. "I'm so sorry," she said, shooting me an apologetic look. "Trish is sick and her family isn't home."

I nodded my head. "It's fine, Als, really," I said, using the couch to pull myself to my feet. "Trish needs you. I'll come with you, if you want."

She looked down at my foot, and handed me my crutches. "Are you sure?" she asked. I nodded my head, grinning. "Okay, fine. Let's go downstairs and make some soup to take to her."

I followed her down the stairs, and hobbled into the kitchen behind her. She pulled out a can of soup and started making it on the stove. She was standing there, stirring the pot, and I walked up and wrapped my arms around her from behind, resting my chin on her head. "You're a really great friend," I whispered, kissing her hair.

She put one of her hands over mine while using the other to continue stirring the soup. "I know, I know, you tell me all the time," she said, giggling. "Thanks."

"No, I really mean it," I said, nudging her shoulder with mine. "And not just to me. You're so great to Trish, and always help her. And you're always so nice to Dez, even when he is making no sense - which is most of the time. And me - you are so wonderful to me, I-"

"Austin, thank you," she said, turning the stove off then turning towards me. "But you're going to make me big-headed with all these compliments. You're an amazing friend, too." I rolled my eyes, but she took my hands in hers. "I'm serious. You're the best friend that I could ever ask for."

"You too, Als," I whispered, leaning down and kissing her cheek. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Okay, enough seriousness," she said, pouring the soup into a heating container. "We need to go help out Trish." I nodded, but not before playfully pouting a bit. I used my crutches to get down to the driveway, and I was surprised to see that Mr. Dawson's car was sitting there.

"Wait, did you drive here?" I asked, wide-eyed. "When did you get your license?" She grinned. "A few days before the camping trip, but I wanted to surprise you one day by just showing up," she said, giggling. "So, surprise!"

I laughed and climbed into the passenger seat. "Well, let's see how good you are at driving," I teased, putting my crutches in the backseat. She started the car and made the short drive to Trish's house, seeming very relaxed and confident about her driving - which wasn't too bad.

She pulled into Trish's driveway and the shut the car off, turning to grin at me. "So, how did I do?" I tightened my grip on the seat belt, acting as though I was terrified. She just laughed and smacked my chest playfully. "Shut up," she said, rolling her eyes and getting out of the car. I grabbed my crutches and we went up the walk together, with her letting us in through Trish's front door, using a key she had in her pocket.

"I should really get you a key to my house," I mused as we stepped into the foyer. Ally shut the door behind us and we made our way down a hall to what I assumed was Trish's room. "Hey, Trish," I said, smiling over at where she was sitting on her bed, surrounded my tissues.

"We made you soup," Ally said, holding the container out towards Trish. She took it gratefully.

"Thank you, Ally," she said, blowing her nose. "Can you please go get me a bowl from the kitchen?" Ally nodded her head with a smile and set her stuff down on Trish's bed, walking downstairs. Trish grabbed her phone to check the time, but her eyes widened. "What's this?" she asked with wiggly eyebrows, pointing at Ally's phone background. It was the picture we took earlier, when I kissed her cheek.

"Uh," I stammered, blushing. "We were just hanging out, and-"

She grinned. "So that's what I interrupted, huh?" she asked, chuckling.

I smiled. "Well, no," I said, sighing and running my hands through my hair. "You actually interrupted us almost kissing - like, on the lips."

Trish's eyes got even bigger, and she squealed, quickly groaning afterwards since she has a sore throat. "No way," she gasped. "Okay, now she needs to tell me all about this. Did you tell her how you feel? Are you going to ask her out?"

I lowered my voice in case Ally was coming up the stairs soon. "No, we didn't really talk about it," I said sadly. "Well, not yet, at least. She probably just thinks it was in the moment. But I'm telling her soon, and I finally figured out how to do it. I just really hope she likes me back."

Trish shot me a look. "You are so oblivious," she said, smacking her hand over her head. I rolled my eyes and Ally came in, carrying a bowl and moving the soup from the container to the dish.

"So, what are you guys talking about?" Ally asked, grinning and handing Trish the soup. Trish thanked her and bit her lip, shooting me a look.

"Uh, nothing," I said, brushing it off with my hand. "Just asking how Trish is feeling." Ally nodded her head and we talked for a bit longer. Then Ally told Trish that she should get some sleep, so I grabbed my crutches and followed Ally downstairs and back out to Mr. Dawson's car.

"So, what were you guys _really_ talking about?" Ally asked, playfully glaring at me as she drove back to my house.

I sighed - she knew me too well. "Trish saw your phone background and asked me about it," I said, chuckling lightly. "You know Trish, she always has to play up the romance."

"Well," Ally said, biting her lip. "Maybe she really wasn't playing it up that much this time." She shot me a small smile, and I placed my hand on her knee.

"Maybe you're right," I said. I wanted to tell her right then how I feel, but I really want to do it using my plan. Thankfully, she pulled into my driveway right then, and it was late afternoon. "Thanks for coming over today, Als," I said, reaching over and giving her hand a squeeze. "You really saved me from boredom, and I enjoyed having you over. Do you want to hang out again tomorrow?"

She nodded her head but then stopped. "I can't," she sighed. "My dad and I are going to my grandmother's house, like, an hour away. We'll be gone most of the day, and I won't be home until late tomorrow night."

"Oh," I said, smiling sadly. "Well, enjoy your day with your grandma. How about the day after that?"

She smiled. "It's a date," she said.

I grinned back. "It sure is," I said. "See you then, Als." She grinned and nodded as I swung myself out of the car, and with my crutches hobbled up the driveway. I gave her a wave and a wink, then headed into my house, immediately being badgered with questions from Rydel and Riker about my day with Ally. Thankfully, my mom wasn't home yet, since she told me not to leave the house today.

**(A/N - Hey guys! so if you total up all the chapters that i have submitted for my stories, this is my 50th chapter on fanfiction! as a result, I am having another outer character contest! So the first _two_ people to leave me a review [and i mean a good, well thought out review, please] on this chapter will be put into one of my one-shots as an outer character! So... review! :D and thanks for reading!)**


	14. Chapter 14

**(A/N - a bit of a filler chapter. But read it, and enjoy it, because tomorrow, Austin will reveal his feelings. :D)**

I slept in pretty late the next morning. Ally and I texted all night, and she promised that she would text me the next day during her car ride to her grandmother's house. We have been hanging out so much lately, that it's going to be pretty weird seeing each other today. But my cousins leave in four days, so it's probably best that I spend some time with them anyway.

"Sup," I said, giving Riker a head nod as I walked into the kitchen, grabbing some juice from the fridge. I had ditched the crutches since last night, because my ankle is feeling a lot better. My mom isn't too happy that I stopped using them, but she is just glad that I'm not hurt any more.

"Not much," Riker said, scanning the comic section of the paper. "Just chilling."

"Do you guys have plans for your last few days?" I asked, wanting to hang out with them. But there was still things I can't do, since my ankle isn't in its best condition.

"Well, today, we were planning on just chilling," he said, eating a spoonful of cereal. "And tomorrow, we are spending the whole day packing and getting last minute souvenirs. Thursday, we are planning on spending the day at the beach, and then Friday we are just going to hang out with you guys until we have to board our flight."

I nodded. "So, what do you guys want to do today?" I asked, grabbing a banana out of the fruit bowl and taking a big bite. "I was thinking we could play video games, have a jam session, or stuff like that."

"Sounds great," Riker said, nodding, as Ratliff and Rocky came trudging into the kitchen. They both sat at the table, looking sleepy.

Rydel came down a few moments later, already dressed and looking happy. "Good morning," she exclaimed, dancing around the kitchen happily.

I grinned. "Why are you so happy?" I asked.

"I don't know," she said, smiling. "I'm just a happy person." I gave her a look. "Okay, okay, fine. I met this guy, and he asked me to go out on a date with him tonight. I think I might really like him."

"Rydel," Rocky said slowly. He mouthed something to her while covering one side of his face, blocking me from seeing what he was saying. What was that about? He can say it out loud. He dropped his hand and sent me a nervous smile. "Just don't get too attached to him, Ry. We're leaving in a few days." **(1)**

Rydel nodded, but I could tell the look of sadness on her face was forced. She was just too happy, you could see right through it. I was about to ask about it, when Ratliff turned to me. "So, we're leaving in a few days, and you still haven't told Ally how you feel," he said. "I mean - you _haven't_ told her right? Because you haven't said anything about it."

"He hasn't told her," Rydel announced. I shot her a questioning look, but she shrugged. "Ally and I text a lot. But, she did tell me that you two have gotten pretty flirty, with all the cheek-kissing. And then, there's the almost-kiss..."

Everyone turned to me with excited looks - even Ratliff and Rocky, who, moments earlier looked like the walking dead. "Wow, is there anything she didn't tell you?" I joked. Rydel shot me an expectant look. "Okay, I'm telling her tomorrow. I already have a plan, but I might need some help with it."

I explained my plan to them, and Rydel clapped her hands in delight. "That is the sweetest thing ever," she exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "Okay, so you are going to ask her to come over, and I'm going to make sure she wears the light purple dress?" I nodded my head. "Sounds good."

Everyone else agreed that the plan sounded good. "So, who wants to go kick some Zalien butt?" I suggested. Everyone agreed, even Rydel, who I know wasn't very good at video games. We played for a while, and Rocky threw his hands in the air.

"Yes," he shouted, doing a small victory dance. He pointed at his score displayed on the screen. "Look at that score! That is beautiful. First place, baby." The screen faded and went to the high score list, where Rocky's score was blinking in second place. "What? _Second_? Who is AGATOR96?"

I looked at the first place high score, which was over a million points higher than Rocky's. "That's Ally," I laughed. "She loves this game."

Everyone stared at me. "_Ally_ loves video games?" Riker asked, wide-eyed. "I have to admit, even though I haven't known her long, I would have never pinned her as the gamer-type."

Everyone nodded their head in agreement. "Okay," Rocky said, crossing his arms and looking at me. "So she is beautiful, smart, musically talented, funny, and can kick Zalien ass? I swear, if you don't marry her one day, I will."

We all laughed, because he was joking, but he was also right. Ally was every guy's dream, and I really did need to tell her how I feel soon. Maybe she feels the same way, but that doesn't mean she'll wait on me forever to make the first move.

We played video games, watched movies, and tossed a football around. We went swimming and ate pizza too, just having a great day together. It made me realize how much I'm really going to miss my cousins.

Around five, Rydel left for her date with the guy that she will be leaving in a few days. Riker and Rocky both took off on runs, saying that they need to get back in shape. Thomas and Lacey were home, chilling in their rooms, and my parents were out to dinner. Ratliff was home too, but he was asleep on the couch. I sighed and grabbed my phone, hanging upside down from a chair and grinning as I got a text from Ally.

**Austin (bold)**/_Ally (italics)_

_"Hey, what are you up to?"_

**"Just chilling. I have been hanging out with the cousins all day, and now they're all off doing something. What about you?"**

_"Waiting for my grandma to finish dinner. I'm really bored, though. I'm glad I got to see her, but I wish I had somebody to hang out with or something to do."_

**"You're texting me aren't, you? That's doing something. ;D"**

_"You know what I mean, Austin, hahaha (: "_

**"I know, I know. Just messing with you, Als. :)"**

_"I know. I don't mind when you tease me either. (;"_

**"Good, because I'm not stopping any time soon. :D"**

_"I wouldn't expect any less! So, what are we doing tomorrow? Why do I need to wear that light purple dress?"_

**"You'll see. :) Even though you hate surprises, I think you will like this one. And I just really like that dress. Don't forget to wear it, please."**

_"Anything for you, Austin! Well, it's dinnertime, so I have to go. But I'll text you when I get home, even though it will probably be really late."_

**"I won't go to sleep until I know that you're home safe. (: See you soon, and try to have fun."**

_"Will do, even though it will be hard without you. (; See you tomorrow."_

I reread our texts, grinning everytime I saw a smiley-face. Even though I just saw her last night, I can't wait to see my best friend tomorrow. Maybe because afterwards, she may be more than my best friend.

**(A/N - there you go! Again, I hate writing in text-format, but it was necessary.)**

**1) Woah, what's that about? Does anyone have a guess?**

**Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**(A/N - hey guys! I can't believe how many reviews I got on the last chapter, since it was only a filler! o: thanks guys! Here's the next chapter! enjoy!)**

I woke up feeling extremely anxious, even though there is a huge grin plastered on my face. It's because today, I'm going to tell Ally how I feel, no matter what. And maybe, just maybe, she feels the exact same way. I jumped out of bed and pulled on my cargo pants and a pair of hiking boots. I also pulled on a long-sleeved white shirt, and a denim vest. I looked pretty silly, but it was all part of my plan. I grabbed the tan purse - uh, satchel - that Lacey let me borrow, and grabbed one of my guitars. I walked downstairs, where Rydel, Rocky, Riker, and Ratliff all wished me luck. This was really important.

"Thanks guys," I said, trying to ignore the shakiness that I recognized in my own voice. "Rydel, what time is Ally getting here?"

"In about..." she trailed off, checking her watch. Suddenly, the door bell rang. "Now." I bolted into the living room and hid in a corner, from where I would execute my plan. I heard Rydel greet Ally at the front door. "Yeah, he said he'll just be a few more minutes," Rydel said, leading Ally over to the couch.

Ally thanked her and smiled, while Rydel chased the boys up the stairs, leaving me to profess my feelings for Ally. I looked over to where she was sitting, in the light purple dress I asked her to wear. She looked beautiful, as usual, which made me nervous. I took a deep breath, then walked over to the couch, taking a seat next to her.

"Hey, Austin," she said, grinning at me.

"Hey, Als," I said softly, smiling. "I want to play a song for you." She nodded, and I pulled my guitar onto my lap, and began strumming. Then, I began to sing, and I know Ally recognized the song immediately.

_I'm malicious, mean and scary _  
_My sneer could curdle dairy_  
_ And violence-wise my hands are not the cleanest _  
_But despite my evil look and my temper and my hook _  
_I've always yearned to be a concert pianist_

_Can't you see me on the stage performing _  
_Mozart Tickling the ivories till they gleam _  
_Yep, I'd rather be called deadly for my killer show-tune medley _  
_Cuz way down deep inside I've got a dream_

_He's got a dream _  
_He's got a dream _  
_See, I ain't as cruel and vicious as I seem_  
_ Though I do like breaking femurs, you can count me with the dreamers _  
_Like everybody else, I've got a dream_

_I've got scars and lumps and bruises _  
_Plus something here that oozes _  
_And let's not even mention my complexion _  
_But despite my extra toes _  
_And my goiter _  
_And my nose I really want to make a love connection_

_Can't you see me with a special little lady _  
_Rowing in a rowboat down a stream _  
_Though I'm one disgusting blighter I'm a lover, not a fighter _  
_Cuz way down deep inside I've got a dream_

_I've got a dream _  
_He's got a dream _  
_I've got a dream _  
_He's got a dream _  
_And I know one day romance will reign supreme _  
_Though my face leaves people screaming _  
_There's a child behind it dreaming _  
_Like everybody else, I've got a dream_

_Toll would like to quit and be a florist _  
_Gunter does interior design _  
_Urf is into mime Attila's cupcakes are sublime _  
_Bruiser knits Killer sews _  
_Ven does little puppet shows _  
_And Vladimir collects ceramic unicorns_

_I have dreams like you, no really _  
_Just much less touchy-feely _  
_They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny _  
_On an island that I own _  
_Tan and rested and alone _  
_Surrounded by enormous piles of money_

_I've got a dream _  
_She's got a dream _  
_I've got a dream _  
_She's got a dream _  
_I just want to see the floating lanterns gleam _  
_And with every passing hour _  
_I'm so glad I left my tower _  
_Like all you lovely folks, I've got a dream_

_She's got a dream _  
_She's got a dream _  
_They got a dream _  
_We've got a dream _  
_So our differences ain't really that extreme _  
_We're one big team_

_Call us brutal _  
_Sick _  
_Sadistic _  
_And grotesquely optimistic _  
_Cuz way down deep inside we've got a dream _  
_I've got a dream _  
_I've got a dream _  
_I've got a dream _  
_I've got a dream _  
_I've got a dream _  
_I've got a dream _  
_Yes, way down deep inside, _  
_I've got a dream Yeah! _**(1)**

Ally sang all the Rapunzel parts, and in the end she was grinning at me. "You really like Tangled, huh?" she said, nudging me with her elbow.

I laughed and nodded. "I really do," I whispered, meeting her gaze. "It's so romantic."

"What's up with you and romance lately?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at me. "Before, you couldn't even write a love song with me. And now, you talk about romance all the time. What changed?"

"I guess I have a reason to be romantic now," I said, shrugging. "A certain something - or someone. Do you want to know what my dream is, Ally?"

"I know what your dream is, Austin," she said, giggling. "You want to grow up and be successful in a musical career, and then one day eat the largest pancake in the world."

"Well, that's still a part of the dream," I said, grinning at her. "But I also have a new dream." She gave me a motion to continue. I took a deep breath then looked her directly in the eyes. "_You're_ my new dream." **(2)**

She opened her mouth to say something, then shut it. She continued that, and I felt myself getting extremely nervous. "What?" she asked finally, looking at me with a mix of confusion and awe.

I smiled at her. "Ally, I really like you," I said. "I have for a long time, I just haven't known what to say, how to say it, or if you would feel the same way. Now, I don't even care if you don't feel the same way - I mean, I hope you do, but I need to get this off my chest either way. I think you are completely amazing. You're beautiful, with your dark brown eyes and curly, strawberry-scented hair. You are funny and smart. You are beyond talented, not only through song-writing, but also singing, and playing instruments. You are an amazing best friend, and I don't want you to ever leave me. And although there are a lot of things you want to change about yourself - like your dancing ability, your stage fright, your height, or how you talk to people - I love it all." I took a breath that I have been holding in for a few minutes. "There is no such thing as the perfect person, but you are by far the closest it gets."

I looked over to see Ally with an unreadable expression on her face. She wasn't saying anything, so I decided to say one last thing. "My Rapunzel," I said, cupping her cheek in my hand. "Ally, would you please just let your hair down and allow your Flynn Rider to be that?"

I shot her a hopeful smile, and she just stared, her face unmoving. Inside, my heart was cracking. I probably just ruined my friendship with Ally.

**(A/N - okay, prepare for an extra long author's note, but please read it, because there is a lot of important things in it!**

**1) I don't own "I've Got a Dream", I believe Disney does.**

**2) That is actually one of Flynn's lines in Tangled! **

**Okay, so one mystery of the story is resolved, and that is Austin's plan. If you didn't figure it out, he dressed himself up as Flynn Rider, (Who, personality wise, he is actually quite similar to. Slightly cocky, but also really sweet and sentimental when you get it out of him.) Anyway, he had Ally dress up in a dress the same color as Rapunzel's, then used a bunch of quotes and a song from Tangled, since they watched that movie together.**

**There are still mysteries to me solved, though. One, how is Ally going to react? Two, what is up with Rydel and the rest of "R4"? A lot of you had guesses, but nobody got it right, so I guess it will be a shocker to you guys. (:**

**Also, I wanted to update again last night, as many of you requested, but I have to go to bed pretty early this week since I am a camp counselor at a children's camp all this week, and get up really early. But I may or may not update again tonight... IF you review. (: and with that, I bid you adieu for now!)**


	16. Chapter 16

**(A/N - hey guys, I felt pretty bad about leaving you guys with a cliffy earlier, and I got a lot of reviews on the chapter really quickly, so I decided to be nice and give you guys another chapter. enjoy. ;D )**

"Als?" I whispered, trying to ignore the crack that I heard in my voice. "Please say something. Anything." I gave her a pleading look. I just professed my love for her, which takes a lot of guts for a guy to do, and she is just sitting here saying nothing. Even if she doesn't feel the same way, I just want her to say something.

She watched me for a few more moments before smiling softly. "I'm sorry," she said, and I could tell she was. "I just don't really know what to say, so that's why I'm being quiet. I have to word this right."

I cringed, thinking that she meant that she doesn't know how to let me down easy. "Okay," I said, just glad that she said _something_. She looked back to me, and placed her hands in mine. I tightened my grip on her hands, awaiting her response. "Actually, I know exactly what to say," she whispered. "But first..." she trailed off and leaned foward a bit, her eyes fluttering closed. I didn't even hesitate to meet her in the middle, pressing our lips together softly, and feeling every cliche that has ever been described in a kiss.

It was perfect. It was soft, it was slow, and it was sweet. Listen to me, I sound like a girl - but that is what Ally Dawson does to me. We both pulled away at the same time, grinning. "Wow," I breathed, as we just stared at each other. "So, uh, what were you going to say?"

She looked confused for a moment, then shook her head, clearing herself out of her dazed state. "Right," she said, shooting me a nervous look. "I wanted to say that I feel the exact same way, if you couldn't tell by that kiss." I smiled at the word _'kiss'_, and how right it felt being used between us. "Anyway, I really like you. I have since Trish's quincenera, but I didn't want to say anything because I didn't think you would feel the same way."

"Why wouldn't I feel the same way, Als?" I asked, intertwining our fingers and giving her hand a squeeze. "You are so amazing, and-"

"Austin," she cut me off, laughing. "As much as I appreciated you telling me how wonderful you think I am, at least let me do it first. You are really handsome, but also really cute and adorable. Even though you're a little cocky, it's just your confidence, which is great. No matter how hard you try to act cool, when you're around me, you can just be yourself, which is really a sweet, sensitive dork." I shot her a playful glare, making her giggle. "I mean that in the nicest way, of course. You're hilarious, and insanely talented, and a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for."

"Thanks, Als," I said, grinning. I leaned in for another kiss, but she put her fingers to my lips, smirking.

"Uh-uh," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not just going to be your make-out monkey." I knew she was teasing, since I obviously saw her as way more than that, and respected her. "Austin, I still want to be best friends."

I felt my face drop. "Really?" I asked. "We just shared an amazing kiss and told each other all that stuff, and-"

"_Aus_," she shouted, squeezing my hands. "Let me finish. I still want to be best friends, but, I want to be something more, too. What I mean is that I don't want to have a mushy, clingy, sexual relationship. I want to have a cute, best friend relationship, where we genuinely care for each other, and not much changes besides the open flirting, intimacy, and stuff like that. Do you understand that? I don't want anything to change, except that we're now in a relationship. I don't want to lose my best friend."

"I get it," I said, grinning at her. She smiled back. "Actually, I feel the same way. I like you for who you are now, and what we have. So let's agree to not change anything except for the fact that now, I can kiss you, we can go on dates, flirt without it being awkward, and stuff like that. Does that sound good?" She nodded her head, smiling. "Well, then let's make this official. Ally, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

"No," she said, feigning disgust. Then she put her hands up in surrender. "Kidding. Absolutely, one-hundred percent, yes. Shall we seal the deal with a kiss?"

"Oh, so _now_ I'm allowed to kiss you?" I teased, winking at her.

She rolled her eyes and swatted my chest playfully. "Just shut up and kiss me," she whispered. I listened, and cupped her face in my hands, pulling her close for our second kiss. It was just as great as the first, and I have a feeling that I will never get used to the sensations that I feel when kissing Ally.

When we pulled away, I pressed my forehead against hers. "I guess you were right," she whispered, smiling up at me. "My Flynn Rider was a lot closer than I thought. Not that I ever doubted it wasn't you - I just didn't think you would ever realize that I'm your Rapunzel." I grinned and Ally began to sing to me.

_All those days watching from the windows _  
_All those years outside looking in _  
_All that time never even knowing _  
_Just how blind I've been _  
_Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight _  
_Now I'm here, suddenly I see _  
_Standing here, it's all so clear _  
_I'm where I'm meant to be_

_And at last I see the light _  
_And it's like the fog has lifted _  
_And at last I see the light _  
_And it's like the sky is new _  
_And it's warm and real and bright _  
_And the world has somehow shifted_

_All at once everything looks different _  
_Now that I see you_

I sang Flynn Rider's part next, and I couldn't help but grin. We were practically living a movie right now.

_All those days chasing down a daydream _  
_All those years living in a blur _  
_All that time never truly seeing _  
_Things, the way they were _  
_Now she's here shining in the starlight _  
_Now she's here, suddenly I know_

_If she's here it's crystal clear _  
_I'm where I'm meant to go_

Then, we sang together, and as usual, it sounded perfect.

_And at last I see the light _  
_And it's like the fog is lifted _  
_And at last I see the light _  
_And it's like the sky is new _  
_And it's warm and real and bright _  
_And the world has somehow shifted_

_All at once, everything is different _  
_Now that I see you,_  
_Now that I see you!_

We ended the song with our foreheads pressed together again. I grinned and pecked Ally lightly on the lips, enjoying the moment with my best friend - who is now also my girlfriend. I might even be in love with her. I don't know for sure yet, but it seems really likely.

Suddenly, we heard someone squeal behind us. "Rydel," I exclaimed, seeing her walk down the stairs. "Were you spying on us?"

"Well," Rydel said, biting her lip. "Only part of the time. Actually, we all were." She motioned to the staircase, where Ratliff, Rocky, Riker, Lacey, and Thomas all stuck their heads out and waved. "We just couldn't help ourselves - it's like you guys are living a movie!"

Everyone else agreed, and Ally and I smiled, despite the fact that we were a little embarrassed that everyone else caught our private moment. "Well, enough about us," I said, trying to steer the topic away from Ally and I. "How was your date last night, Rydel?"

"It was amazing," she gushed. "I'm just so sad that I have to leave him soon. I only ever got one date with him."

Ally shot Rydel a look, with her eyebrows raised in amusement. "Well, you didn't mention anything about a date when we were texting yesterday," Ally said. "You sit there and pry all this information out of me, but don't even offer any information up yourself?" Everyone laughed at her teasing, and I was grateful that somebody else was getting teased for once, rather than Ally and I.

"I'll tell you later," Rydel said quietly, smiling. "He's such a sweetheart, too." She sighed happily, and we all talked about random things for a while. Even though I felt bad for Rydel, since she has to leave a guy she obviously really likes, I couldn't help but grin. I finally told Ally. My best friend and I are now boyfriend and girlfriend. Nothing could make this better, right?

**(A/N - hope you enjoyed (: and WRONG, Austin. Things could get better! How? If you liked the chapter, review! If you hated the chapter, review! If you're currently riding camel-back through the Sahara Desert, review! (; haha, but seriously! Thanks for reading, and getting me over 100 reviews on one story! you guys are the absolute best!)**


	17. Chapter 17

**(A/N - hey guys! Wow, 20 reviews on just the last chapter? i think that is the most I have gotten on any chapter yet! Can we beat that with this chapter? :D Let's see! Read and enjoy!)**

I grinned at my phone, texting Ally. She left about an hour ago, because she went to eat dinner with her dad. I wanted to hang out with somebody, but Thomas is at work, Lacey is babysitting, and Riker, Ratliff, and Rocky were out buying souvenirs. "I can hang out with you for a little bit, but then I have to go somewhere," Rydel said. "Sorry."

"No, it's cool," I said, grinning. "I'll take any time I can get. What do you want to do?"

She thought about it and then smiled. "I want to kick your ass in football," she said, smirking.

"You're on," I scoffed, grabbing a football and running out to the backyard. "Alright, well I guess we can just throw it, and then you can try to run it for a touch down. Tackle or touch?"

Rydel laughed. "Tackle, duh," she said. "Touch is for wusses." I laughed and we began tossing the ball. I ran for a touchdown, and almost made it, but Rydel jumped on me at the last second, making both of us land on the ground. Each time Rydel passed me, I claimed that I just didn't want to hurt her. But the truth is, Rydel is actually really good at football, and I just wasn't fast enough to catch her. "I win," she shouted, slamming the football down on the ground and doing a victory dance.

"The only reason you won is because my ankle still hurts," I said, rolling my eyes. Rydel shot me a look, and I smiled. "But good game."

"Well, now I have to go take a shower," Rydel said, skipping to the stairs. "And then I'm going to buy some souvenirs."

"Wait," I said suspiciously. "Why do you need to shower to go shopping?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I just like to look my best," she said, waving and running upstairs before I could say anything else.

Everyone has been acting kind of weird lately, and I don't know what is up. I wish someone would just tell me so I could stop trying to guess. I'm not good at guessing games, but Ally is. She always guesses Trish's questions on the first try.

I was getting really bored, and I just want someone to hang out with. I sat around for a few more minutes, but then decided I would go to Dez's house. I hopped into my car, which my mom finally let me drive again, and pulled into Dez's driveway. "Hello, Austin," Mrs. Worthy said, smiling.

Dez's parents are strangely normal, especially in comparison to him. But he's my best bud, and I like his craziness. "Hi, Ellen," I said, wincing at using the first name of an adult. She insists that I call her that, but my parents raised me with manners and respect towards adults. Mr. Dawson is the only adult I feel comfortable calling him by his first name, and that's only because he is a cool guy and I spend a lot of time in Sonic Boom and at Ally's house.

I walked to Dez's room, and gave him the '_sup_' nod. "Hey buddy," I said, giving him a wave. He was sprawled out on his bed and texting on his phone. I took a seat in his desk chair.

"Sup, Austin?" he asked, turning towards me. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to hang out with my bud," I said, as we did our handshake. "And I have something really important to tell you." He looked over at me with interested eyes. "Well, Ally and I are dating now."

"Happy dance," Dez shouted, jumping up and down. He reached for his pants, to rip them off. "Here's my pants, buddy," he shouted, yanking at the bright yellow skinny jeans.

"Dez, that's alright," I exclaimed, stopping him. "Anyway, I told her how I feel, and she told me she felt the same way, and we kissed a few times, and-" I stopped talking, sighing happily.

"That's amazing," he shouted. I nodded.

"So, Ally and I have been wondering if you like Trish or anything, because-" I said.

"No," he shouted, cutting me off. "I don't like Trish like that. I mean, she and I are starting to become better friends, but we just argue too much to ever have a relationship. I don't feel that way about her."

I nodded my head in understanding. "No, that's cool," I said. I'm pretty sure Trish doesn't like Dez either, so it's not a big deal. Ally and I just thought it would be cool if the four best friends were all dating each other.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Dez raced to the door, and I peeked out his bedroom door to see who it was. When I saw, my jaw literally dropped. Standing at the front door was Rydel, and she was grinning at Dez, who was smiling back. "Rydel?" I asked, stepping towards the door.

"What are you doing here, Austin?" she asked, wide-eyed. "I thought you were still at home."

"What are _you_ doing here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She smiled nervously. "Um," she stammered, looking towards Dez for help. "I just came to say goodbye to Dez. I wanted to say bye to everyone I met here before I leave."

"Ry, just tell him," Dez said, shooting her a warm grin. "He'll understand."

She sighed and grabbed Dez's hand, intertwining their fingers. "Well, Austin," she said. "Dez is the guy that I went on a date with last night. I remembered him from when we were younger, and over the past few days, we realized we had a lot of great times together. We started talking a lot, texting, and, we really like each other. We just didn't want to tell you because you might think it was weird."

I let what she just said sink in. "No, it's not weird," I said, grinning. "I think it's actually really cool. My best bud and my cousin? That's awesome." They smiled, glad that I approve. "But, here's the thing. Rydel, you're leaving on Friday. You guys have gotten close, but only for you to have to go back home. It's really going to hurt you both."

"I know," Rydel said, looking down at the floor. "But we might as well enjoy what time we have together, right, Dezzy-Roo?" _Wait, what? Dezzy-Roo? Well, he does like kangaroos..._

"Right," Dez said, smiling and giving her hand a squeeze. Then he turned to me. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, man. I didn't want you to get mad at me."

"I could never be mad at my bro," I said, pulling him in for a man-hug. "I really do think it's great, I just hate knowing that you guys are going to be hurt after this. Promise you won't get too close in the last few days, alright?" They both nodded. "Okay, well I'm going over to the Dawson's."

I drove over to Ally's house, where I was greeted by her father. "Hey, Austin," he shouted, giving me a hug. "How have you been?"

"I've been good, Lester" I said, smiling. "I'm not interrupting your dinner, am I?"

He shook his head. "Nope, we just finished," he said. I went into the kitchen and helped him finish the dishes. "Here, I'll call Ally down." He shouted her name up the stairs, and a few minutes later, she came skipping into the kitchen.

"Oh, hey, Austin," she said, grinning warmly. She pulled me into a hug, and smiled up at me. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came to visit," I chirped happily, kissing her lips lightly. I felt her freeze in my arms, and I pulled away, wondering what was wrong. One look in her eyes, and I realized that she hadn't told her dad yet. _Crap_. I mean, we have only been a couple for a few hours, but I assumed she would have brought it up at dinner. "You didn't tell him yet, did you?" I whispered.

She shook her head. "I was about to," she said nervously. We both looked over to her dad, who was watching us with a face laced with shock, protectiveness, and something else I couldn't identify. _Oh, no._

**(A/N - so, what did you think? I know, it's a bit of another cliffy! and part of Rydel's mystery has been revealed! let me know how you feel about it in a review! Whether you loved it, hated it, or are currently hanging upside down like a sloth. PS - a lot of you were riding through the Sahara on a camel while reading this yesterday. ;D AND OHEMGEE, I added up the total reviews I have from all my stories, and there are 400! I know some people have that many on just **_one_ **story, but I never expected to get that many, so thank you all!)**


	18. Chapter 18

**(A/N - okay, I know that his is an inexcusably short chapter, but that is because it is a bit of a filler. But it also contains Mr. Dawson's reaction. Read and enjoy!)**

"Did you just kiss my daughter?" Mr. Dawson asked, stepping towards me. I stepped away, extremely nervous. Even though he is a huge goofball, he can be pretty scary at times.

"Uh," I stammered, backing away slowly. "I'm sorry, sir, I just-" He cut me off by lunging at me, and I almost let out a girly scream, until I felt him hugging me. "Sir?" I asked, extremely confused.

"It's about time," he shouted, looking back and forth between Ally and I. "I have only been waiting for you two to date since you met. What took you so long?" I began to respond, but he shook his hed. "No matter. And Austin, don't start calling me sir, just because you're dating my Ally-Cat. You can still call me Lester."

"Okay, Lester," I said slowly, still backing up. Ally walked over to me nervously and snaked her arm around my waist. I slipped my arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer, so she was leaning into me.

"So, you aren't mad, right?" Ally asked, looking over to her father with a nervous smile.

"Mad?" he asked incredulously. "I'm excited for you two. Everyone else but you could see how you felt about each other, and that you're practically perfect for one another." Then he turned to me. "And Austin, I just want you to know that I completely trust you. I know how caring you are for Ally, and you are the only person that I would giver her permission to date."

"Thanks, Lester," I said, pulling him and Ally into a big hug. I was so happy that he approved of Ally and I dating. I don't know what I would do if I wasn't aloud to date Ally.

We all broke the hug, and I leaned down and kissed Ally gently on the lips again. "Yeah, one more thing," Mr. Dawson said, breaking our kiss. "Don't do that in front of me." We all laughed good-naturedly, and he went to the living room to watch a football game.

"I have to tell you something," I said, turning to Ally. She nodded and led me up the stairs to her room, where she sat on the ground, against her bed. I got on top of her bed, and let my head hang off of it, so it was next to Ally's. "Well, I figured out why Rydel has been acting so weird. She and Dez like each other and went on a date."

"I know," Ally giggled. "She told me before I left your house today."

I sighed. "Why do people tell everyone things, except for me?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

Ally laughed and ruffled my hair. "Two reasons," she said, holding up two fingers. "The first is that you don't keep secrets well." I shot her a playful pout, and she rolled her eyes. "The second is because you're really fun to mess with. You get so upset, and fired up."

"Gee, thanks," I said, rolling my eyes. She gave me an apologetic smile and leaned over to kiss me. "Uh uh," I said, shaking my head and glaring at her playfully.

Ally stuck her bottom lip out, pouting. "Please?" she asked, in the most adorable voice. I shook my head, but eventually caved, leaning over and pressing my lips to hers. When we pulled apart, I sighed. "What's wrong?" Ally asked, looking over at me worriedly.

"Nothing," I said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I just don't think I'm ever going to get used to the sparks I feel when we kiss."

"You feel them, too?" Ally asked, looking over at me with a shy smile. I nodded my head, and she grinned. "Good, I thought I was the only one."

"Who wouldn't feel sparks while being with a girl as beautiful as you?" I asked. "Actually, that would be impossible, since nobody is as wonderful as you. I guess that makes me the luckiest guy in the world, huh?"

"Also the _cheasiest_," Ally scoffed. But then she smiled at me. "And the sweetest, most romantic guy in the world. I'm a lucky girl, I have the total package."

"Alright, Als," I said, hopping to my feet. "I think I have had enough romance for one day. Now, it's time to do something fun." Ally raised an eyebrow, and I scooped her into my arms, slinging her over my shoulder.

"Austin, put me down," she shouted, slapping my back lightly. "I don't think this is fun."

"Hush, you know you love it," I said, spinning her around a bit. She giggled and squealed, and I finally set her down on the bed, pinning her down and grinning. We just sat there for a few minutes, looking into each other's eyes, and smiling. "Als," I spoke quietly. "I know we have only been actually dating for a few hours, but I have had feelings for you so much longer, and I need to tell you something." She nodded, waiting for me to go on. "I'm in love with you."

I was telling myself that just as much as I was telling her, and in that moment, I knew it was true. I studied her face for a few minutes, and she quickly broke into a huge smile. "I'm in love with you too, Austin," she whispered. "I have been for a long time."

I leaned down and connected our lips once again, this time much more passionate than any other. We were both smiling into the kiss, our lips moving perfectly in sync. After a few minutes, we broke apart, breathing heavily, but smiling ear to ear. "Promise you'll never leave me, Ally," I said, looking her in the eye. "Please."

"I will absolutely, never ever leave you," she said, smiling. "And I hope I never lose you. You're my best friend in the entire world, and I can honestly see us having a life together for many years."

"Me too," I said smiling. "And don't worry, I'm not going anywhere without you." A few weeks ago, if somebody asked me if I ever thought that my best friend and I would be professing our love to each other, in a happy relationship that we know will last a lifetime, I would say they were crazy for questioning it. Of course I have had feelings for Ally, but I never thought we would actually become anything.

I never thought I would be able to tell her how I feel for her, and I'm glad that my cousins pushed me to tell her. It has made me realize how much I have missed them since they moved, and I'm upset that they are going to be leaving soon.

**(A/N - i know, it wasn't very good... /: but I wrote it quickly because I want to post the last chapter tomorrow! that's right, tomorrow is the last chapter! :D I will be sad to end this, but I'm also super excited, because I just started another story, **_"Miami Arts_**"! I honestly think it will be my best yet, and you should go check it out if you haven't yet. Thanks for reading, and please review if you really want to see something in the last chapter!)**


	19. Chapter 19

**(A/N - this is the last chapter! enjoy!)**

It's Friday, and that means that today is the day my cousins leave. They are supposed to be at the airport at noon, and we have really been making their last few days here worth while. I'm really going to miss them when they go back to Washington. Maybe I can visit them there sometime. I could bring Ally, and maybe even Dez so he can see Rydel.

I made them promise not to get too connected, since Rydel was leaving. Dez is a pretty sensitive guy, and I know that if he gets too close to her, he will be heartbroken when she leaves. These two weeks have flown by, but a lot of good things have come out of it, including Ally and I becoming a couple.

Yesterday, we all went to the beach, and spent the entire day there. Rocky made another huge sand sculpture - this time, an octopus. Riker, Ally, and I were having a surfing contest, and of course, Ally won. She truly is a natural. I still can't believe that she fooled me into thinking she couldn't surf.

I woke up and stretched, putting my arms in the air and rubbing my tired eyes. We had all been up really late last night with a bonfire in the backyard. I glanced over at my bedside clock, then did a double take when I saw the time. One in the afternoon? That means I missed saying goodbye to my cousins. I quickly jumped out of bed, furious that nobody woke me up to say goodbye to my favorite cousins. Who knows when I will see them next? I got dressed and stormed down the stairs, ready to give somebody a piece of my mind.

"Hey, Austin," Riker said from the couch, waving.

"Not now, Riker," I snapped, rushing into the kitchen. "Nobody woke me up to say goodbye to-" I froze and turned back around. Sitting on the couch, grinning, was Riker. "What the hell are you doing here? You were supposed to be at the airport an hour ago."

"Yeah, about that," Riker said, a mischievious look on his face. "Actually, instead of telling you, I will show you." He motioned for me to follow him, and we walked outside.

"Where are we going?" I asked, confused. "Why are you still here? Could you please answer my questions?" Riker shook his head, and walked to a large house that was down the street from mine. "Whose house is this?"

He let himself in through the front door, motioning for me to follow. Whose house is this? Why is he just letting himself in? Sitting in a living room, was Rydel, Rocky, Ratliff, my siblings, Dez, and Ally. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" I demanded, throwing my hands in the air.

Rydel stood up. "Well," she said, smiling. "Our dad got transferred again, and we moved back to Miami." I'm pretty sure my jaw hit the floor as everyone grinned.

"How long have you known that?" I asked, wanting more details.

Riker spoke next. "We have known for about a month," he said. "We let your parents know, and they told us that there was a house for sale in your neighborhood. We all came down to check out the house and the area, to see if it was a good idea. In a matter of days, we knew it was, so Mom and Dad bought it and started driving here with the moving vans."

I still wasn't processing all of this correctly. So they were living in Miami again, just a few houses from mine? This is great.

"The other day, when they were _'buying souvenirs'_," Dez said, slinging his arm around Rydel. "They were really moving all the stuff in."

"You knew about this?" I asked, shocked. He nodded his head, smiling. "That means that you and Rydel can still be together!" This time, both he and Rydel nodded their heads, before kissing each other's cheeks sweetly. I turned to Ally who was standing right next to me. "Did you know too?"

She shook her head. "Nope," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I found out this morning when I came to say goodbye."

"Yeah," Ratliff said. "We heard from a little birdie that Ally isn't always the best at keeping secrets, especially when you give her puppy dog eyes. Isn't that right, Ally?"

She nodded her head, blushing. It turns out that my parents knew, of course. They were out to lunch with my aunt and uncle right now, who I would get to see later this afternoon. Thomas and Lacey knew as well, because they heard my parents talking about it, but were sworn to secrecy.

"This is so crazy," I said, looking around at everyone. "Yet, so awesome." Everyone agreed, and soon, we were having a nine-person group hug.

"Aw, isn't that just sweet?" a voice said from behind us. I looked up to see my parents and my aunt and uncle walking in through the front door.

"Hey, Aunt Ruby," I said, giving my small aunt a big hug. "Hi, Uncle Max," I greeted my uncle with a handshake. He rolled his eyes and pulled me into a hug afterwards.

"I see you have heard the big news," my mother said, winking at me.

"I just can't believe you all kept it a secret so long," I said, amazed. "This is going to be so awesome though. It's been great having you guys around the past two weeks, and now you're living in Miami. And so close to my house, too."

Everyone agreed, and we all hung out for a while. "So," I said to Ally, nudging her. "How about I take you out on a date tonight?"

"That depends," she teased. "Where would we be going?"

I smiled at her. "It's a surprise," I said, knowing she hates surprises. After she groaned, I chuckled. "Just kidding. I was thinking that I would take you to a secret Bruno Mars concert on the beach. Only, like, one-hundred people know about it. What do you say?"

"I say yes," she said, happily. I chuckled at her enthusiasm, knowing she loved Bruno Mars. "How did you find out about it, anyway?"

"Hey," I said, grinning. "When you're an internet sensation, you hear things." She giggled and swatted my chest. "You really love Bruno Mars, huh?"

"Yeah," she said happily. Then she looked over at me. "But I love Austin Moon even more."

"Why do I have a feeling that you are talking about more than music?" I asked flirtatiously, winking at her.

"Because I am," she grinned. "I love you, Austin Monica Moon." I rolled my eyes at the use of my middle name. Why did I ever tell her that? I leaned forward to kiss her.

"I love you too, Allyson Marie Dawson," I whispered against her lips, before connecting them with a smile.

"Get a room," Rydel said from across the room, tossing a chip at us. When we broke apart and looked up, she was sitting on Dez's lap, their hands intertwined.

"I could say the same to you," I retorted with a grin, causing everyone to laugh. Then, I grabbed my guitar, and started singing. Every single person in the room began to sing along, which was great.

_Woke up in London yesterday _  
_Found myself in the city near Piccadilly _  
_Don't really know how I got here _  
_I got some pictures on my phone_

_New names and numbers that I don't know _  
_Address to places like Abbey Road _  
_Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want _  
_We're young enough to say_

_Oh this has gotta be the good life _  
_This has gotta be the good life _  
_This could really be a good life, good life_

_Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight _  
_Like this city is on fire tonight _  
_This could really be a good life _  
_A good, good life_

_To my friends in New York, I say hello _  
_My friends in L.A. they don't know _  
_Where I've been for the past few years or so _  
_Paris to China to Col-or-ado_

_Sometimes there's airplanes I can't jump out _  
_Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now _  
_We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e _  
_What there is to complain about_

_When you're happy like a fool _  
_Let it take you over _  
_When everything is out _  
_You gotta take it in_

_Oh this has gotta be the good life _  
_This has gotta be the good life _  
_This could really be a good life, good life_

_Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight _  
_Like this city is on fire tonight _  
_This could really be a good life _  
_A good, good life_

_Hopelessly I feel like there might be something that I'll miss _  
_Hopelessly I feel like the window closes oh so quick _  
_Hopelessly I'm taking a mental picture of you now _  
_'Cuz hopelessly _  
_The hope is we have so much to feel good about_

_Oh this has gotta be the good life _  
_This has gotta be the good life _  
_This could really be a good life, good life_

_Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight _  
_Like this city is on fire tonight _  
_This could really be a good life _  
_A good, good life_

_Oh yeah _  
_Good, good life _  
_Good life _  
_Ooh_

_Listen My friends in New York, I say hello _  
_My friends in L.A. they don't know _  
_Where I've been for the past few years or so _  
_Paris to China to Col-or-ado_

_Sometimes there's airplanes I can't jump out _  
_Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now _  
_We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e _  
_What there is to complain about** (1)**_

I began to think how truly lucky I am. I have two loving parents, and a brother and sister - who sometimes drive me crazy, but in the end, are always there for me. I have three great best friends. Trish, who is always going to keep me sane, and gives good advice. Dez, who will always be there for me, no matter what - even if he is a little odd. Plus, he seems really happy with Rydel. Then, there's Ally, who is truly my best friend in the entire world. Plus, she's now my girlfriend, and we both love each other. I hope to marry her and have a big family some day, but that is quite a few years away.

And now, my favorite cousins, who have made the past two weeks incredibly awesome, are now living just down the street from me. They played matchmaker, and are just awesome to be around. To say that my life couldn't get much better right now would be completely accurate. This is the good life.

**1) I don't own Good Life. One Republic does!**

**(A/N - Well, my friends: That is the end of** _"Playing Matchmaker"_**! I am really sad that this has ended, because it is my favorite story that I have written. However, I feel as though my newest story, **_"Miami Arts"_**, will be ever better. You should go check it out if you haven't yet! I want to thank you all for being awesome readers and reviewers, and I hope you continue to be throughout my other stories! Please review this, telling me what you thought about the ending/overall story! What was your favorite part? What did you not like? Let me know! Thanks again!)**


End file.
